I Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix
by Krystal Lily Potter
Summary: Complete rewrite of Shadows of Sleep. All stories have their beginnings and all stories have their endings. Only after we sleep do the dreams come, and only after one brother falls will the other rise. BBS AU to go with my Shadows series.
1. Prologue

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Prologue_

The dust was thick in the room, a good few centimeters thicker than it should have been. There were piles upon piles of books stacked throughout the room, few actually on the numerous bookcases in the room. As the old man walked into the room, several papers on the floor crinkled under his feet, the floor barely visible from all of the loose paper that was strewn about.

The old man fixed his pointed hat as he looked around the room. Where was his apprentice? He was supposed to be cleaning all of this. Yes, he was teaching his apprentice the finer arts of using a very powerful weapon, but helping to clean was part of his duties.

The old man suddenly looked wary. He had no clue where his young apprentice was, but he was sure that the mischievous mouse couldn't be up to any good if he couldn't find him. Leaving the room, he called out a name and waited.

He heard a distant crash and let out a sigh. A moment later, he heard a scurrying sound and looked up as his apprentice ran around the corner. He was a short creature with large, round ears and a high voice. His master would readily say that he was a mischievous and a bit of a rebel at times. It wasn't as if he was doing anything wrong, it was just that he tended to jump into action before thinking ahead.

For his part, the mouse was desperately trying to get out of that habit. He was going to be a king; he wasn't supposed to jump first4. It was difficult to change his personality though.

"Mickey," the old man said, "why have you neglected this room? The rest of the tower looks spotless."

"Gawsh Master Yen Sid," Mickey Mouse replied, "I thought this room was one of the ones off-limits."

Yen Sid was a patient man, a wizard who was much older than he looked (and, to be honest, he looked quite old). He had experienced many things in his lifetime, but never before had he seen such promise in an apprentice as he did with Mickey. Still, sometimes, despite his talent, Mickey pushed his patients to the limits. The broomstick incident was the best example of that.

Now though, it was just a misunderstanding, so there was no reason to be angry. "No, it is not. I am looking for a specific book in here. It has a black cover with golden writing and a silver lock. Clean this room and when you find it, bring it to me. It is of grave importance. The stars have drawn my attention to a certain matter that must be checked."

"Yes Master Yen Sid," Mickey said as he gave his master a respectful bow before scurrying into the room.

While Mickey disliked all of the chores that his Master gave him, he would rather jump into it and get it done quickly. He was always willing to help Yen Sid, even though he had the feeling that his master could easily clean the mess with magic. He had a feeling that these mundane tasks were specifically set out for him as some sort of training. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be learning, but he had a feeling that it had something to do with patience, humility or something like that. Or maybe he was completely over thinking everything and Yen Sid just wanted him to clean. It would surprise Mickey. He caused a lot of trouble around the tower.

In theory, Mickey could have tried to use magic to clean the room, but he had learned his lesson after the broom incident. On the bright side, there were now many brooms to help clean the just recently finished Disney Castle. It had taken years to create, but it was a magnificent structure that the creator was certainly proud of.

Mickey started organizing the books and papers first, figuring that getting rid of the dust would be the easiest task and best left to the end. As he did, his thoughts turned back to his home, and specifically his family there. It wasn't a normal family to most people by any means, but it was still his. He didn't remember who has actual parents were, having been an orphan since he was only a baby. It was only after a human had taken him in that he truly felt like he had a family. Walt had been good to him and his friends, although the old man had been skeptical about people from any other world once he realized that they existed. It had been odd for a human to be close to such creatures as mice, dogs, cats and ducks, but Walt was ambitious.

Mickey frowned a bit. Walt wasn't a wizard like Yen Sid, and his age was finally catching up with him. It was one of the reasons why Mickey's training was so intense now. Minnie, his young wife, had got word to him that their old friend wasn't doing so well lately. It made Mickey nervous, because while he had officially been the King of Disney for a little while now, he never had to rule the world on his own. Still, Walt had said that once his masterpiece, his castle, was created and the Cornerstone of Light protected safely beneath it, he could finally move on in peace. He knew that Mickey could protect Disney even if he couldn't.

Mickey vowed that he wouldn't let Walt down. He would use his ever-growing abilities that he possessed to keep his home safe. That included a rather rare ability that Master Yen Sid was helping him develop. When he had first met Yen Sid, through Walt, the wizard had instantly known that Mickey was special. Walt Disney had been amazed with Mickey's power and his pure heart. Under Yen Sid's watch, Mickey learned to wield his powerful weapon that few others could use. Yen Sid had been a Keyblade Master, and though he had long ago put aside his own Keyblade, he was willing to take Mickey under his wing. There were so few people who could use the Keyblade, so who was he to deny a person who could?

The mouse sighed as he put book after book back onto the large shelves. He would have to ask Yen Sid if he could go and visible Walt before his old friend passed on. As much as Mickey didn't want to think of that he, like all of the other residences of Disney Castle, knew that Walt's time was swiftly coming to an end.

Suddenly, Mickey stopped cleaning and did a double take at the book that he had just put onto the shelf absent-mindedly. It was an old, worn, leather-bound book with faded gold writing on the cover and a tick silver lock. He couldn't understand what the language was, but it looked vaguely familiar. Throwing these thoughts aside, he quickly pulled the large book into his arms before rushing towards his master's office. Once he reached the room, he quickly knocked on the door and waited for his master.

"Enter."

The door opened on it's own, but the mouse was used to such things happening. Mickey slowly entered the room and placed the book carefully on his master's desk.

"Very good," Yen Sid said. "Once you finish your work, you may contact Minnie. A trip to Disney will be in order soon."

Mickey could read between the lines. He knew exactly what Yen Sid was getting at. He nodded his head with a quick bow and left the room. He stopped as he got into the hallway though, his curiosity about the book stopping him from going to speak to Minnie. He really wanted to know what was so important that Yen Sid asked him to find something that he obviously hadn't looked at in years. He often said that the stars told him things, though Mickey couldn't comprehend how or why. All he knew was that whenever Yen Sid said that the stars were speaking to him, or something along those lines, he was usually correct in whatever knowledge he had gained from them.

"I fear you were correct, Eraqus," Yen Sid said after a moment. "The darkness is rising quicker than normal."

"Yes," another unfamiliar voice replied, "I feared as much. The signs were all pointing towards the legends written in that book."

"Yes. A child born destined to be the Master of all Keyblade Bearers in a time of great darkness. Able to connect his heart to any friend or alley, he will be marked by his ability to control the power of Kingdom Hearts. Only he will be able to open the Door to Light. To bring about chaos or peace, it will be his own choice," Yen Sid read from the book.

"Kingdom Hearts? I thought that was protected by the royal family Twilight's Destiny," this mysterious Eraqus pondered.

"Yes. That's correct. Actually, if I remember right, the Princess is expecting another child," Yen Sid said thoughtfully. "That world hides the secrets of its people well. The world itself doesn't take well to intruders. Perhaps, the best course of action is just to sit and wait."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Eraqus agreed. "There is nothing more that we can do at the moment. "

Mickey Mouse was standing outside of Yen Sid's office with a curious look on his face. A child with that much power would be the Keyblade Master? He looked down as his own Keyblade appeared in his hand. He knew he would have to help this little one somehow. He moved closer to the door to keep listening to the conversation inside.

But the first thing to do was to find who it was.

**Author's Note**

This is the prequel to Shadows of a Dream: Final Mix, and it's a rewrite of Shadows of Beginnings.

Title change – I wanted the title to have something to do with Birth By Sleep while tying it to the title of Shadows of a Dream.

Why did I decide to post this first instead of Shadows of Reality: Final Mix?

Because I can. No seriously though, I was looking over both of them, and even though I'm farther in writing Reality, I felt that this story had to be told first. There are a lot of changes in Shadows of Reality that are based off of the changes I'm making in this one. If people read the other one before this one there will be so much confusion it won't even be funny. It'd be like picking up the 5th Harry Potter book and reading that before reading 1-4.

The updates for this one aren't going to be nearly as quick as they were with SoaD:FM, so don't expect an update every other day. I'm going to try to do once a week if I can. While this one is definitely longer than the original, like before, it's much shorter than the sequels.

Also I saw Tangled yesterday and it made my life a little happier. I adored it, especially the psycho horse. Seriously, I want that horse. And I can't wait to see Tron either. I can totally see KH doing an update to try and include the new movie.

Hmmm…I think that's all I got for now. Hope you guys enjoyed this, but the story really gets rolling in the next chapter. Hence why this is a prologue!

_**Krystal Lily Potter **_


	2. Another Side, Another Story

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter One – Another Side, Another Story_

When Ventus Hikari was only ten years old, almost eleven (as he would point out to anyone who asked), his parents told him that he was going to be an older brother. He didn't quite comprehend this thought at first, because to be honest, he wasn't exactly sure what being an older brother meant. More than anything, this had upset his mother, Ayame. Ventus had grown up in an isolated environment, and there were rarely any other children around.

His family was very protective of him, and though he didn't know why at the time, he later found out that, in the past, many of his relatives had been murdered for the secret that was held deep within the castle of Twilight's Destiny. As far as Ventus knew, everyone in his family was an only child, though later on it was revealed that twins had a tendency to run through his family. Few sets of twins survived very far into adulthood.

After his parents showed him different types of families with different amounts of children, he caught on to what it meant when they said that he was going to be a big brother. At first, Ayame and her husband, Raiden, were worried that he would be jealous of a new, little child that they had to focus on. Instead though, Ventus became an eager ball of energy about having a little brother or sister. His parents caught the change in his personality quickly. On one hand, he was still a little boy who was fairly small for his age, but on the other hand, he quickly became the protective older brother before the baby even started showing in his mother. Of course, this event led to many questions about where babies came from and everything, but that was a time that Ventus would later pretend never happened. He had learned many things then that he wished he hadn't at the time.

Ventus loved to meet new people and was open to nearly anyone no matter what they looked like. However, he never often had the chance to meet new people. He rarely ever wandered out passed the thick walls that surrounded the large courtyards and gardens of his home, but it was no surprise to anyone that he wasn't allowed to just wander wherever he wanted to. As peaceful as Twilight's Destiny was, it still wasn't safe for a young prince to wander off on his own.

Twilight's Destiny wasn't a particularly overly populated world. Most of the people lived in the large city or on the few islands not far from the mainland. Beyond the tropical paradise was a thick jungle with all kinds of odd plants and animals. Even the bravest explorers were reluctant to go into the deepest, darkest part of the jungle without the most up-to-date equipment and the best exploration team possible. Beyond the jungle there was rumored to be a string of vicious volcanoes the separated the jungle from a large, winding desert.

Ventus had heard whispers about the desert and some dark secret it held, but he was never truly interested in it. Out of sight, out of mind, especially to a 10-year-old whose birthday was fast approaching.

He reminded his parents over and over again (though his mother in particular insisted that she could never forget the day he was born, for her own reasons) that his birthday was coming up in July. His parents had told him about becoming a big brother only a few weeks before his birthday since his mother, Ayame, hadn't known she was pregnant until she was nearly three months along anyway. His birthday was towards the end of the month, meaning his mother was approaching her second trimester, but that meant nothing to him. All he cared about was the fact that he was turning eleven.

Ventus' eleventh birthday hadn't started as a particularly special occasion outside of it being the birthday of the only heir to the throne Twilight's Destiny had (Ayame insisted that her pregnancy be kept a secret until she was at least in her second trimester). Ventus didn't have many friends his age, though there were a few children around the castle from time to time. His family was a cautious one and they weren't about to let the doors open for just anyone from the kingdom to stroll in. Power was a great motivator to make people do things that they wouldn't normally do, like kidnap a small boy.

They didn't expect the danger to come in the form of something that wasn't even human. Ventus' eleventh birthday became a day of significance to his family, because it was the first time that they realized something strange was going on (later they realized that the same thing was happening across many worlds), and it was also the first time that Ventus had summoned his Keyblade.

It wasn't the first time that they had seen the curious weapon. Years before, an older, wandering woman appeared, wishing to speak to the King and Queen. She warned that a man she once knew was starting to seek power and that she had no doubt that his eyes would turn to Kingdom Hearts one day.

Ventus was only four when this event occurred. They had given her shelter for the day, and the young prince had been curious. He had never met an outsider before. Ventus himself couldn't remember the incident, but his mother certainly did.

The woman had stared at the young boy for some time with her all-seeing, all-knowing lavender eyes, and had proclaimed that Ventus had a strong heart and the power to be great. She asked if he would like to protect his friends and family, and he had answered yes. She had then presented her own weapon, a Keyblade.

Ventus had been amazed by its design, saying that it looked like the waves that he could see from the castle. He had been curious about the star shape that was in it and the woman had simply laughed and said that he would understand some day. She had made that Keyblade, and the charm would be important to someone dear to him. She said that the Keyblade was called Brightcrest. She encouraged Ventus to touch the weapon, even let him hold it. He had been ecstatic.

She had stayed for only three days before saying that she needed to move on in hopes of stopping her fallen comrade.

What Ayame Hikari would always remember was the sad look on the woman's face.

"Ventus has a great destiny ahead of him, I have marked him as such. It's a shame that I won't be there to see it unfold."

With those words, she had vanished and never returned. Ayame was reluctant to call the woman clairvoyant, but something inside of her said to take the words to heart.

So, on his eleventh birthday, when Ventus had first summoned his Keyblade, she hadn't been as surprised as others might have thought.

His party was being held outside since the young prince enjoyed being outdoors in the castle courtyards rather than cooped up inside. It was a nice day, like the very world itself had decided to give everyone a break from the sweltering heat that always came in the summer in their tropical world, if only for the young boy's birthday. Who knew, maybe it actually had. It was a clear, sunny day with a pleasant breeze and much laughter.

Though Ventus didn't have many friends, he got along instantly with those he had never met before but who were invited, such as children of the council, or those of other important people around. He was a little awkward with them, for he rarely ever interacted with people his own age, but it wasn't enough for the children to shun him completely.

Ayame couldn't help but feel sad when she realized that her son seemed a little older than all the other children, a little more mature, but he was a prince and that was the way it had to be. He couldn't be just another island child and expect to successfully rule the kingdom. It would never work in the end, even if he had the best intentions in mind.

She had been feeling a little emotional lately, but that was to be expected in pregnancy. She was actually ecstatic to be heading into month four, because that's generally when it got more bearable. The first three months were the body adjusting, and the last three was simply the body wanting the child out.

Raiden had ordered her to head inside, saying that she needed time to rest. Even if it wasn't extremely hot out that day, she was already prone to hot flashes and he didn't want her to pass out or anything.

Ventus had accepted her excuse of going to have a nap, but that was mostly because, unlike most children his age, he enjoyed naps and highly approved of anyone who decided to take one. As long as a nap was the reason, he didn't mind his mother skipping out on his birthday party early.

Ayame had been walking back to the castle when an odd creature appeared in front of her. It was only a small creature, and at first it just looked like a giant ant with arms and legs and was not very threatening. Then it turned to face her, and its glowing yellow eyes seemed to strike the very core of her heart. There was something dark about the creature. They would never learn until years later that it was the first time in many, many years that a Heartless had appeared in Twilight's Destiny, but it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Ayame and the creature seemed to have a staring contest before it attacked. Raiden had been the first one at her side, but his overly large sword seemed to have no effect on the creature. Instead of doing it harm, the creature gave him what would become a large scar from his elbow to his knuckles. It would always be a reminder of how he had almost lost his wife and unborn children to the creature.

Ventus had been the next one to reach his parents. Everyone had tried to stop him, to pull him back, but he seemed to fly passed them all with the speed of the wind. The creature had lunged at him, but instead of taking his life, he got rid of the creature. There was a flash of light and a curved weapon that looked surprisingly like a key had appeared in his left hand, and the creature ended up impaling itself on it.

From that day forth, Ventus was able to easily summon his Keyblade, which he called Wayward Wind, whenever he pleased. Though he was immensely proud of himself for such an achievement, his parents and grandparents had quickly attempted to hush up the event. Still, like anything that any powerful figures tried to hide, there were whispers of the event and conspiracies were born. These conspiracies caught the attention of one particular traveling man before they could be squashed.

He had approached the castle exactly like the mysterious woman had years before, seemingly very courteous and wise. He introduced himself as Xehanort, a Master of the Keyblade. He explained that he had been searching far and wide for an apprentice worthy of the power of the Keyblade, but he had no such luck until now.

None of the royal family knew exactly why they never once mentioned the woman who had appeared before them years ago with the same weapon, but it was like something was whispering to them not to. To anyone who didn't know about the woman's visit, it would appear as if Ventus could summon his Keyblade without having been introduced to one beforehand.

Xehanort explained that this was very rare, and it marked Ventus as a very powerful person. One who would be hunted all of his life unless he proved himself worthy of the power. Xehanort could show him how.

Naturally, as skeptical and wary as the royal family was, it took a while before Xehanort even saw Ventus, let alone before he got the go-ahead to train him. What sold the boy's parents was his insistence that he could help Ventus control his powers so he would never be forced into a situation where he was helpless to change the outcome. All they wanted was the best for their son, and Ventus wanted to learn. There was no doubting that he had a special gift, whether it was from birth or from a ritual that happened years before mattered not.

Ventus had begged and pleaded with his parents once he learned what Master Xehanort wanted. He wanted to learn, he wanted to get stronger. He held no fear for himself. All that mattered was being able to be strong, to be able to help his parents and his little brother or sister.

In the end, Ayame and Raiden gave in. Their only request was that Xehanort spend as much time as possible within the castle of Twilight's Destiny. Though the old man admitted that they'd have to leave from time to time, especially once Ventus became more experienced with his new powers, he seemed almost eager to stay within the castle walls. When he wasn't training with Ventus, he was seen in the libraries, soaking up the information there, or he was off on some errand off-world. Eventually no one gave him a second glance as he came and went.

For what felt like years but was actually months, Ventus trained with his Master. Some servants would see the boy getting faster and faster as he leapt through obstacle courses and ran around racetracks. He became stronger and more talented with his Keyblade. More than anything, his desire to do better never seemed to fade. It wasn't just a childish hobby that he would get over after a few weeks time. Ventus was determined to make the most of himself.

During the day he would work himself physically and mentally, balancing school work and Keyblade training, but he did it all with a big smile on his face. He would run as quickly as the wind, he would clash Keyblades with his Master, and he would summon flames all with a grin.

At the end of the day, after all the training was said and done, Ventus would spend some time with his parents.

By the time his mother was in her seventh month of pregnancy, it seemed like Ventus had created his own code of speaking to his parents. He was so secretive about some things, as if only a Keyblade Bearer was allowed to have certain knowledge, and perhaps that was exactly the case.

Still, Ventus' attention wasn't entirely focused on becoming the best Keyblade Apprentice that he possible could be. He was able to hide it particularly well when he was with Master Xehanort, but when he was home, his attention turned to his mother and the sibling that would soon be joining them in the world.

One night in particular, Ventus' attention was focused on his mother as she waddled around the room, a mug of warm hot chocolate in her hands.

He watched as she sat down on the couch beside him, happily drinking the warm, chocolate liquid. She seemed to realize that he was watching and said, "Ventus, it's impolite to stare."

His cheeks turned a pale shade of pink and he said, "Sorry, it's just—it's really hot and you're drinking hot chocolate."

"The babie—y wants them," she answered, her cerulean eyes focusing on a spot on the wall. Ventus had to double check to make sure nothing was there before he waved his hand in front of his mother's face.

"Are you okay?" he asked with worry.

Ayame smiled a bit at this. Her husband had taken up most of her duties now that she was so far along in her pregnancy. It was good, because she wanted to be as stress free as possible in the final months of her pregnancy, but it was bad because he rarely had time for her anymore. Instead, it seemed like it was Ventus who helped her more. She wished that she could take some of her young son's burdens from him, but she knew that he wouldn't let her. He was far too stubborn and mature for only being eleven.

"I'm fine honey," she reassured her son and set down her drink, hugging him closer to her. "I'm just thinking. You're going to be a big brother soon."

He smiled at this and nodded excitedly. "Yeah, and I'll be the best big brother ever! I'll play with them and protect them and I promise I won't be jealous! One of the maids told me that I'd probably be jealous but I won't be! I promise! I'll be a great big brother to my little brother or sister!"

She chuckled a bit. It was at times like this when his true age poked trough his more mature demeanor, and she treasured those moments.

Her mind wandered for a moment and she wondered if she should tell her son what she knew about his future siblings. The first part that would surprise him was the fact that she was carrying twins. It didn't come as a surprise to her, but it would be a shocker for him because though twins ran through their family, he had never known that. As far as Ventus was concerned, everyone in his family had been an only child, but that was not the case.

The power that the royal family had access to attracted both good and bad attention. Many would kill for the power, and many had been killed in the past for it. Her own elder brothers, twins, had been killed in the purist of someone else's greed. Someday she would tell Ventus about them, but now was certainly not the time.

She also knew that they were both, in fact, boys. Raiden had been ecstatic about that, saying that having a daughter would have been the end of him because he probably wouldn't be able to handle it. She had been just as happy, though for a second when she found out, she had been a little annoyed only by the sheer fact that she would be the only female in a family of males.

"Ven, honey, you can be honest with me. Would you rather have a brother or a sister?" she asked him curiously while running her fingers through his soft, spiky blond hair.

He hesitated before grinning sheepishly, "A brother. Girl's are weird."

She had to laugh at that. It was another reminder that, though there was a lot of pressure to be an adult on him already, Ventus was still just a kid.

Ventus went back to training tirelessly, but as the days progressed, his parents noticed that he seemed a little bit on edge, a little bit nervous, though he never once said why. They had asked Xehanort about it, and he simply replied that he mentioned a test in the future, and they had accepted the answer.

It was only in retrospect that Ayame wished that she had pried into the subject more.

None of them could have known the dark purpose that lie beneath the surface of Xehanort's seemingly selfless actions.

Unknown to the royal family, Xehanort himself had once been a resident of Twilight's Destiny from the island region. In particular, he had lived on a small little island simply known as Lost Island. It was named as such because of how few people lived there, and how it was almost lost and forgotten by the main land. Because of this, Xehanort had lived a very suffocating life. He grew to hate his island home for being so constricting, he hated the people, and he hated the main land and the royal family for ignoring him.

Still, he could acknowledge that some good came with living on such a small world. He had knowledge to some things in the world that outsiders wouldn't. He knew that the heir to the throne, by blood lineage, would accept the power from Kingdom Hearts on the day of their coronation. It stayed with the person for life, and only one person per generation could hold it. That didn't stop others from trying to steal the power though.

Xehanort knew a little more than the every day person that lived on Twilight's Destiny. He knew that the power was almost a two-way thing. The ruler was given an unimaginable power, but it was like a reward for being the willing host of the power in the first place. Without an heir to the throne with the magic of Kingdom Hearts running through them, the world, and possibly, over time, Kingdom Hearts itself, would die.

Such a power was fascinating to him. He could barely begin to imagine what could be done with it. He had searched far and wide, trying to find something that might be able to equal or rival it's power, and while many things came close, only one that he had heard of might surpass Kingdom Hearts.

He had tried to replicate the power within human subjects, but they all became disfigured or died. Xehanort could see the merit of keeping those that did survive the experiments. They were truly interesting creatures without a beginning and without an end. They were not darkness, they were not light; they just were. That was why he called them Endless.

Still, his Endless were nothing compared to other creatures out there and the power that he knew he could have. The power he thought he deserved. The key to everything was Kingdom Hearts, and he had waited a long time before he was finally able to strike. To learn that the prince himself had the ability to wield a Keyblade was like a blessing sent by Kingdom Hearts itself.

The irony of finding the only thing that might surpass Kingdom Hearts, was that he first needed the power of the heart shaped moon itself. It was the only thing that would truly create what he needed: pure chaos and darkness.

Legend had it, that at the end of the mythological Keyblade War, a great light appeared and saved the worlds, restoring them. It was unlike anything he had heard of before, and he was determined to find the power to see what it really was, to hold it, to control it.

The most important part of the plan lied within Ventus himself. Not only was he the heir to the throne, but he appeared to be the true Keyblade Master, born with the ability to use the Keyblade. Xehanort had hoped to train him in the darkness, then to pit him against a powerful Keyblade Bearer of light. The clash of equal light and darkness would give rise to the χ-Blade, and then the Keyblade Wars would begin.

Of course, Xehanort's plans were much more manipulative, much more complex than simply finding the χ-Blade and starting a war. Though he was far more intelligent than many out there, not even his plans were foolproof.

The problem came with the key to his plans: Ventus.

Time and time again, Ventus had proven himself to be powerful and strong, which was good, but he resisted the darkness. His heart was naturally filled with so much light that it was almost repulsive for a dark creature to look at. It wasn't so imbalanced as to render the boy useless or into a coma-like state, but Xehanort saw it as weakness. He became more forceful with his young apprentice, trying to force him to use the darkness. Nothing seemed to work, and Ventus' parents became suspicious with the boy's behavior.

Finally, Xehanort came to the conclusion that he would either have to get Ventus to use the power of darkness, or use him for something else. He was not a man to waste something that he had put time and effort into. No, he had a backup plan for Ventus, should his first idea fail.

And fail it did.

He had summoned several large, dark creatures around the small boy, who was horrified. The Heartless surrounded him, and Xehanort urged Ventus to fight them. He urged him to give into the darkness to survive. Once again, Ventus refused. He had pleaded with Xehanort to help him, naively trusting his Master despite what was happening. He hadn't stood a chance against such powerful Heartless.

Xehanort took pity on the young prince, destroying the creatures before they could tear apart the boy's heart.

The old man stared down at the boy's unconscious form, nudging him slightly with his boot to see if he would wake. The eleven-year-old didn't let out a single sound.

"Useless apprentice," he muttered as he summoned his Keyblade. "At least you can have some use though." The power from his Keyblade struck Ventus, ripping his heart apart in a very unnatural way.

Xehanort secretly returned the unconscious boy to his home. He didn't speak a word to anyone. He simply put Ventus back in his room and fled, but not without a prize of his own, a dark one. It was there that his family found him. They were unable to wake him and called in medical professionals who could only say that he was in a coma-like state.

A month and a half passed as the young boy laid in unconsciousness. Christmas came and went, and after New Years his mother's due date finally came about. The doctors were amazed that the woman had made it full term, especially with twins and the stress of not knowing what had happened to her first son. They began to worry when the date passed. It seemed that both Ayame and the twins were insistent that Ventus be awake before they made their debut to the world.

Not everyone got what they wanted though. On January 7th, five days after her due date, the twins decided that it was time they graced the world with their presence, with or without their older brother there to greet them.

**Author's Note**

And now you get smacked in the face with automatically how different this is from the original one. It's so different that it impacts Shadows of Reality in a huge way, so I couldn't post that one first or everyone would be like 'wat?'

Before someone asks, yes, basically Twilight's Destiny is just several biomes squished together even though it's pretty much impossible. My explanation: magic. Always blame magic

My suggestion for this chapter: Look at it as a second prologue. I find it very long winded, which is kind of odd for me because I like to put in dialogue. Don't worry, not all of the chapters are like this one. A few from time to time are, but not all of them.

There are some things that anyone who plays Kindgom Hearts knows, and that's that 3 is pretty much the magical number in it. In BBS there are three thrones in Eraqus' room. It could be assumed that one would be for Yen Sid before he gave up his Keyblade, but in this I had it as a woman, someone who trained with Eraqus and Xehanort. Consider Yen Sid like a generation (or a few generations because he is Yen Sid and his awesome immortalness renders all your arguments invalid) before them. So she was the one who marked Ventus here. As for her Keyblade, Brightcrest, it's the one that Aqua gets at the first of the Final Episode. After creating Castle Oblivion. I kinda wondered why that one came out of nowhere, so in this fic, there's sort of a connection to this third character.

Fun fact about the games based on that (the '3' observation): Sora has to go and save all of the people who were hurt in the past, all who called out to him. In the scene with Roxas, Xion and Axel, only Roxas and Xion call out Sora's name, Axel doesn't. Hence, Sora won't be 'saving' Axel, but I doubt Nomura isn't going to do anything with him, he's too popular a character. Then again, so was Aerith/Aeris in FF7. Yes, that was confirmed by the man himself. This has to do with '3' because they all seem to come in threes but with Xion there, Namine seemed to be on her own. Without Axel, it's just Roxas, Xion and Namine.

Yes, I specifically had to add in 'left' hand here. I'm not sure if it ended up like that, but Ventus was originally supposed to be left handed. This was to imply that the Keyblade Sora/Roxas summons to the right hand is his own, and the one in the left represents Ven.

Lastly, **thank you to the following people who reviewed!** You guys are all awesome and this fic is definitely for all of you because I had very little will to write it at first! Himeka-wolfie, Joahikim, shadowwolf547, Shifuni, KaUiA, herald of disaster, Trainalf, kirabook, and catharsis25!

That's all for now. Sorry if there's any spelling or grammar mistakes. And sorry for the super long AN. I like to babble on.

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	3. Dive Into The Heart

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Two – Dive Into The Heart_

Ayame sat beside her unconscious son, stroking his spiky blond hair. She wished desperately that he would just open his eyes, give her that big smile of his, and say that he was alright and she was being silly for worrying. Such a wish would never come to pass though. The doctors assured her that he was physically fine, that his breathing and heartbeat were strong and healthy, but he still wouldn't wake up. Their best guess was that it was a psychological response to something. It didn't matter to her, what did matter was that they were unable to wake up her son. It had taken her husband and father's intervention to stop her from completely raging and doing something irrational, like stabbing the doctor with a pen. She had been tempted to do it, because, when he was talking, he kept tapping Ventus' chart with that stupid black pen.

Simply put, Ayame Hikari was a very pregnant, very hormonal woman at the moment. Her son was in a coma, and the doctors had no idea why. She was sure that if she released all of her anger and frustration, the doctor would have probably cried and she would have enjoyed it.

Not even the thought of her two little babies that would be with them soon brightened her spirits much.

That, added to the fact that the twins were already overdue, made the doctor's worry. They had suggested more than once that they induce labour, but she insisted that they would come when they would come. The doctors were all very worried that she would suffer from postpartum depression.

As for Ventus, in a way, his condition could be considered psychological, but at the same time, it wasn't. It wasn't something that couldn't be detected medically, because he was physically fine. Given the right motivation, his body could probably even move, if only slightly. Xehanort had removed the darkness from him completely, and though Ventus was a fairly pure-hearted person naturally, it was impossible for a person to survive without both darkness and light within them. There were a few exceptions strewn throughout the universe on either side of the spectrum of light and darkness, but in general, that was the way it went. Without that little bit of darkness within him, Ventus would never wake up.

Tears welded up in Ayame's eyes as she started sobbing. She didn't know what to do. She had two new babies on the way, and her eleven-year-old son was in a coma. She knew that Raiden wanted to be there as well, but he had things to take care of that couldn't be overlooked. He was the husband of the future Queen of Twilight's Destiny, and that title didn't come for free. She, on the other hand, wasn't expected to do anything but stay off of her feet for the most part, so it's exactly what she did.

It was in early January, a month and a half after Ventus had fallen into his coma, when her unborn children decided that they could no longer wait for their older brother to awaken to welcome them into the world. They had both been very active since Ventus was found unconscious and Xehanort had vanished, and the superstitious part of Ayame wondered if maybe they could sense their big brother's problem. Today though, she could feel one set of legs eagerly kicking her insides, but the other was unnervingly still. She couldn't understand why she was so worried, because she had done nothing but sitting and lying down since the night before. She supposed that she was just being paranoid though.

While sitting at Ventus' side, holding his hand, she felt a wave of pain unlike the annoying but welcomed little throbs of her babies kicking. No, even though it had been years since she had given birth to Ventus, she knew exactly what this pain was.

"I guess you can't wait anymore, can you babies?" she whispered, resting her hand on her stomach. "You're both already late. I do hope you don't make that a habit." She winced and breathed in deeply as she felt another contraction a few moments later. Her watered hadn't broken yet and the contractions were fairly far apart, so she knew that she still had some time to sit with Ventus.

"Ven, sweetie," she whispered to him, "if you can hear me, your little brothers are coming very soon. I know you wanted to be there when they came, and I like to think that they wanted you to be there too, but they're coming now. Wake up soon baby." She honestly didn't expect a response from him, but she was still a little bit disappointed when he didn't even stir a bit.

A little while later, the doctor came in to check up on the young prince. He glanced at Ayame and asked, "Are you alright, your highness?"

She was staring at Ven and said, in a very off-handed way, "I'm fine. I'm just going into labour." There was no sarcasm in her voice at all.

The doctor dropped the clipboard to the ground with surprise before picking it up and setting it at the table at the end of Ventus' bed and said, "You should come with me your highness. That way I can get you situated and more comfortable."

"Oh, it's quite alright," She said, but taking his hand and letting him help her up. "My water hasn't—" Ayame cut herself off and looked down at her now wet pants and the growing puddle of water on the floor. "Hmm...never mind. I guess my water is broken now." She was amazingly calm, and she wasn't even quite sure why. One son was in a coma for reasons unknown, and the other two were on their way out of her body over a week late, yet she felt oddly serene at the moment. She'd take it though, because she knew that her calm was going to be completely gone within a few hours.

The doctor called something into the hallway. A moment later, a nurse rushed in and told the princess to come with her into a room that had been prepared for such an emergency. Ayame kissed her son on the forehead and said, "Wake up soon Ven." With that, she was led out of the room.

**VVVVVVVVVV**

Ventus' eyes slowly slide open, but all he saw was more darkness. He had been trying to find something else, to be able to actually see something aside from the dark world he was trapped in, but it was no use. The only thing that was lit up in the place was him.

It took him a moment to realize that he wasn't standing completely still. He blinked with surprise when he realized that he was falling. He felt his body flip around so that he ended up standing upright, and winced as he looked down. The object he was standing on was pure white, glowing underneath his feet and standing out brightly compared to the blackness that he was used to seeing. He curiously took a step forward and realized that it almost felt like he was walking on glass.

"Hi."

Ventus looked around with confusion, hearing a small, happy voice echo around him. It sounded like a child much younger than himself, but he had no clue where the voice was coming from, let alone whom it was coming from.

"Hi?" he replied hesitantly.

There was a small laugh, but it wasn't dark or cruel like he was expecting. Instead, it sounded like the joyous laugh of a small child who was honestly happy to see him. Ventus still couldn't see where the voice was coming from, but he suddenly felt warm. He felt like he wasn't alone, and after being lost in the darkness for so long, it was the best feeling in the world to him. For a second, an image flashed through his mind of a small boy with a head of thick brown hair, bright cerulean eyes, and a very large smile. He shook his head, still looking around though he knew he wouldn't see the person. "Who are you?"

There was another laugh and the voice said, "I'm a new born heart. I could feel you calling out. You're sad, and your heart is broken."

Ventus placed his hand over his chest for a moment before asking, "Is there anything I can do to fix it?"

The childish voice didn't reply right away, and Ventus was about to repeat his question, when he replied in a rather thoughtful tone, "No, that would be very bad. Big light and dark coming together would be bad. I can help ya though!" His voice picked up happily at the end of his sentence.

"You can, how?" the blond questioned the younger boy. The only reply he got was another laugh. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw movement, and quickly turned around.

Though it was faint, Ventus could make out the transparent figure of a small boy, only around four-years-old. He was the same boy that Ventus had seen a quick flash of earlier, and he was standing dangerously close to the edge of the white platform, right by the shattered portion of it. "Hey, be careful!"

"It's okay," the boy said as he stepped to the edge of the glass. "I fix everything."

Ventus watched as the boy started glowing before turning into complete light. The light seemed to hover there for only a second before stretching out and covering the broken part of the platform that he was on, filling in the broken piece. The entire platform started to glow before the light started vanishing in the form of doves flying off into the distance.

He covered his eyes as the doves flew passed him, and when he opened them, he found himself standing on stained glass. He stared at in it awe, noticing that the figure on it looked like an older version of him.

"Venny," the child's voice said suddenly, "time to wake up. Come find me Venny. You have to before it's too late."

Everything around Ventus exploded in white light, and he shielded his eyes as he lost consciousness again.

**VVVVVVVVVV**

It had been four hours since Ayame Hikari had been taken away from her unconscious son, five hours since she had started to feel a bit of pain in her body, and four hours since her water had broken. Four hours ago, she had been very calm, cool and collected about the entire thing. She had gone through labour before, and she had only been sixteen at the time.

It wasn't that she was just another teenage pregnancy. No, she had been married. It was odd to think about, because sixteen-year-olds were supposed to be out having fun with their friends, not worrying about getting married, and supplying the kingdom with future heirs as soon as possible. The rules of royalty were simple but strict: be engaged by the time you were sixteen, be married by the time you were eighteen and have a child as soon as possible. Many worlds were separating from these strict rules, but Twilight Destiny followed it still. Ayame's father, the current king, was even starting to look into finding Ventus a betrothed already, and he was only eleven! The thought of having a child outside of wedlock was completely unacceptable on a number of levels though.

All back-stories aside, Ayame had been sixteen when she had given birth to Ventus. It had been a completely natural birth, and she remembered it hurting like hell. The thing about pain though, is that a person remembers that it did hurt, and immensely so, but they don't remember the feeling itself. The body can develop toleration to pain, but only if a person is constantly exposed to it. No woman could learn to stand the pain that came with delivering a child because of how long it was in between births.

She quickly came to realize this, five hours after she had first gone into labour. The pain was excruciating, and though her husband was trying to comfort and sooth her, she wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face. This was his fault. Sure, she had said a long time ago that having more children would have been wonderful, but there had been many problems and issues, including three miscarriages. The doctors suggested that these problems were caused by her originally having a child so young, combined with some other problem that she couldn't remember off hand, but she wasn't sure if that could be true. A female body was usually completely developed by the time they reached sixteen. Then again, she didn't remember what else the doctors had said that could have been wrong with her, so her point wasn't very valid.

Another sharp wave of pain crashed over her, dragging her from her thoughts. She was trying to distract herself, but it wasn't working very well. She looked around at Raiden, who seemed extremely worried, and then at her parents, who were allowed in the room by the doors, but they had to leave when she was ready to push the babies out.

Her father was a rather short man, and was starting to plump up as he aged. He had wild hair that seemed to stick every which-way that was a salt-and-pepper colour and the same cerulean eyes as she did. Her mother, on the other hand, was tall and slender, with silver hair and kind, hazel eyes. They were both older, having had three children before she was even born. Ayame knew that the youngest of her siblings had been ten years older than her, the oldest two (twins) nearly twenty years older. Something had happened though, and all three had been lost when Ayame had only been two. She had asked a few times, but her parents were always too distraught to talk about it, even years later. She respected that, and despite her curiosity, she had never tried to find out about it. She wanted to know what happened from her parents' perspective, no one else.

She had never lost a child, but she felt horrible knowing that Ventus was practically in a coma, and there was nothing she could do about it. She had been terribly upset after he miscarriages, but she couldn't imagine what it would have felt like to actually lose one of the children that were already born, the ones she bonded with.

She screamed loudly as she felt a wave of pain pass over her that was stronger than the others. She knew that no thoughts would distract her now. The babies were coming.

"Ayame," the doctor said to her. "You're going to have to push with the next contraction." Her parents were led out of the room, but Raiden was allowed to stay as the room shifted to look like a birthing room. The doctors wanted her to use the typical lying down birthing position, but she knew that it was only convenient for the doctors and actually was one of the worst ways a woman could give birth. So many problems could occur from it. She argued relentlessly and they finally allowed her to sit up against the pillows in the bed instead of lying down. Ayame knew that even this little change could help immensely.

Though she was in a terrible amount of pain, she liked to think that she was a strong person. So many things were taken out of her control lately, but she was determined for this to go exactly the way she planned, or at least close to it. She gritted her teeth together and nodded her head.

Raiden help her hand and said, "Think about it, it's almost over and we'll have our new babies soon."

Her eyes snapped to him quickly and she said, "Think about it, I could crush your favorite appendage and then you would be feeling something similar to me. See how much optimism you have then." She didn't mean to be cruel, and later she blamed the combination of hormones and pain. Raiden said nothing, though he did visibly pale.

When her next contraction hit, she screamed again as she started pushing. Really, she had forgotten exactly how painful it was. She rapidly lost track of time, as every second seemed to last for an hour, and every minute lasted a millennia.

"I see the head," the doctor informed her.

"Push Amee," Raiden encouraged her. "He's almost here."

She took a deep breath and let out a great scream as she gave one last strong push with everything she had. The pain was indescribable, and her head was swimming in a world of shock once it was over. She took several deep breaths, knowing that she would have to do the same thing again in a few moments, when something occurred to her: there was no crying.

Her head shot up as she stared in horror as the doctors quickly took the small, still child away. Panic flooded through her body as she yelled, "Why isn't he crying? What's wrong with him?"

The doctors working on the baby ignored her calls, and just as Raiden was about to ask the same question, she let out another scream of pain: the other baby was coming.

**VVVVVVVVVV**

In a room not far away from his parents, Ventus laid alone. A small groan escaped his lips as his eyes slowly opened, staring at the ceiling above him with a rather confused look. He couldn't remember what had happened to him, or why he felt so tired and heavy, but he knew that he had been unconscious for a while. He wracked his brain trying to figure out what had happened, but he couldn't. The only things that he could really remember were the fact that a key-shaped sword, a Keyblade, kept appearing to him, and that he was going to be a big brother soon.

An odd feeling passed over him, almost like a wave of helplessness. With a grunt, Ventus managed to roll himself out of the bed that he was in, wobbling a bit as he tried to walk. His legs were a little bit weak (but were much stronger than they actually should have been, considering how long he was in a coma), but he had to get somewhere now so they would have to work. Ignoring the fact that he only had on pajamas, he stumbled out of the room and down the hall.

He managed to stay out of sight of the guards, maids and servants, not exactly sure where he was going but knowing he needed to get there. He came to a stop when he saw his grandparents waiting outside of a door. His grandmother was twisting her hands, a sure sign that she was nervous, and his grandfather was pacing back and forth. For some reason, though he was very happy to see them, he knew that he had to stay out of sight. Luckily, one of the messengers rushed down the hall and whispered to them. He took the chance to rush quickly, slipping into the room they were by before they noticed.

He had heard faint screams coming from outside, but now that he was inside of the room, the sound increased exponentially. He had never heard his mother in so much pain before, and it certainly frightened him, but he had a feeling that there was something else he needed to focus on.

There were a lot of people crowding around his mother's bed where she was screaming and crying, but that wasn't what caught his attention. What he saw was a small little bundle being held by a lone incredibly sad looking nurse. He made his way over to her, and it wasn't until he was right in front of her that she realized he was there.

Her eyes widened with surprise, knowing that he was supposed to be in a coma at the moment (well, not that he was supposed to be, but it was where they all thought he was). He stared at the silent baby in her arms, noticing that it wasn't moving.

"Prince Ventus..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say. How was she supposed to tell him that the baby in her arms, his little brother, was dead?

Ventus knew something was wrong with him. He had been with his mother enough to know that a baby was supposed to be crying when it was born, and this one was not. He could hear some crying behind him, and it occurred to him that he had two younger siblings, not one. He stared at the silent baby intently and said, "I want to hold him."

"Oh, sweetie, I don't think—"

"Now," Ventus demanded while holding out his arms. It wasn't in a prissy tone like a child about to have a hissy fit, but rather a commanding voice of a young prince. He was giving her a direct order, and even though he was young, he was still the prince. The nurse wanted to spare him from the loss though, knowing that his mother was already taken it hard. Her second childbirth hadn't gone nearly as smoothly. The nurse had seen the look of defeat on the woman's face when the doctors left the small child to tend to the new one, having done all that they could.

She reluctantly handed him the child, making sure he held the baby in the correct position. She stared at him sadly as he looked at his little brother.

Ventus closed his eyes as he felt a tug at his heart, and he had the feeling that he had met this little baby somewhere before. It was an incredibly odd feeling, because he wasn't sure how he was supposed to have seen a baby that had just been born before, but it felt right. He could practically feel the connection between them, and tried forcing some of his strength into his young brother. He could feel the small boy's skin warming up again as his heart slowly started thumping.

The nurse's mouth opened with surprise when she saw a glow appear around Ventus before traveling to the small baby. She knew that Ventus was a little different, special in his own way, with the weapon that he could summon, but this was astounding. She dropped the pen that she had picked up to fill in some paperwork in shock when the glowing stopped and the baby's eyes opened. They were only opened just a crack, but it was enough to see that his eyes were already the same cerulean colour as those of his older brother, who stared back at him. The nurse stared at the child's rising and falling stomach, unable to believe what she was seeing.

The silence that seemed to surround the three of them shattered as the baby in Ventus' arms let out a loud, piercing cry that was louder than even the baby with their parents.

The doctors shot around with surprise, staring at the boys in shock. Ayame let out a small sob when she saw the son she thought was in a coma holding the son that she thought was lost, both seemingly fine.

Ventus' gaze moved to his parents as he smiled and said, "He's all better now mom."

And her small sob turned into real tears of happiness as she started crying hysterically.

**VVVVVVVVVV**

It was a miracle, the doctors claimed. They had tried everything they could to get the first-born twin to breathe, but they came to the conclusion that he was a stillborn. They also said that it was a miracle that Ventus was up and wandering around like nothing had happened. Ayame took the opportunity to hug her older son close when the twins were being checked over, weighed and such. She just couldn't stop crying with relief. They didn't question what had happened to give them back both of their sons. They just accepted it for what it was.

"What are you gonna name them?" Ventus asked his parents curiously. His mother didn't even bother correcting his sentence like she would normally; She was in too much of a good mood to bother.

"Well," his father answered, "there's a tradition in your mother's family that when twins are born, if they're both the same gender, you name the oldest one, then the younger one's name is an anagram of the first name with an x added in."

"An anagram?" Ventus asked curiously.

"Like those games where we play when we jumble letters up to make a new word," Raiden explained.

"Oh right, I remember now," he answered, understanding. He looked at his mother and said, "What if its a boy and a girl? Or more than two?"

"I don't really know about more than two," Ayame said with a small shrug, "but if it's a boy and a girl, you still mix the name up but without the x. Of course, we don't have to follow that. It hasn't been done in a while." One of the things that she knew about her deceased older brothers was that they had completely different names, and from what she knew, her father's twin hadn't had an x in his name either.

"Well, what are you gonna name them?" Ventus repeated his original question.

"Your name means wind," she explained, "so maybe Kumo, which means cloud, and Sora, which means sky."

Ven nodded his head slowly before watching as the doctors brought the two babies back to their parents. His mother took the older one (the doctors had put small identification tags around their ankles, stating which one was older, since they were identical), rocking him carefully. Raiden held the younger one for a moment before passing him to Ventus, who sat beside his mother on the bed.

"I want to name him Sora," Ayame said, referring to the baby in her arms.

Raiden nodded after a moment and said, "I think it suits him. I have a feeling that the sky isn't even going to be the limit for this little one." He then turned his attention to the baby in Ven's arms and said, "So I guess you're Kumo then."

Ventus made a face, really not liking the name. He liked the idea of making an anagram of Sora with an x added in though. Thinking about it, different ideas when through his head, even ridicious ones. Soxra, Xoras, Aroxs, Orxsa, Ro—

Ven cut off his own thoughts as he looked down at his brother. Roxas. He really liked that name.

"Mom," he said while looking up at her, "what about the name Roxas? It's Sora with the letters all jumbled up and an x in it."

"Roxas," his mother repeated thoughtfully.

"It's a good name buddy," Raiden agreed, "but we're gonna go with Ku—"

"I like Roxas," Ayame interrupted.

"We agreed though," he replied. "You name one, I name one. You chose Sora, and I chose Kumo. That's what we're naming him."

"I carried them around inside of my body for nine months," she said in a sugar sweet voice. "I suffered through morning sickness, mood swings, heat flashes, cravings, insomnia, gas, tiredness, aches, pains and I just went through labour. Might I add that I went through the second childbirth thinking that our first baby had died while our eleven-year-old son was in a coma. I trump you in every way right now. His name is Roxas."

Sora shifted in her arms and suddenly let out a loud cry. Instead of feeling annoyed with the crying baby in her arms, Ayame relished in the sound of the cries escaping his lungs. She hummed happily and said, "Don't worry little Sora, Roxas, we'll take good care of you both. I promise, nothing will ever happen to you. Ever."

She couldn't have even imagined how wrong she truly was.

**Author's Note**

Fun fact: the little part about childbirthing positions is completely true. The while lying on the back thing, as well as lying back with the legs up, are actually some of the worst ways a woman can give birth and there are many problems that can arise from both the mother and the baby. It's only used because it's easiest for the doctors. Makes ya think, doesn't it?

Yes, I legit did research on pregnancy and childbirth for this fic and for Shadows of Reality: Final Mix. First time around, I didn't really, I just wrote what I knew. Now it's legit facts. I know, I'm too cool for school.

Also, I know some of Sora's sentences weren't really complete or proper. That was kind of the point. I know someone would have pointed it out.

I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas had a great Christmas! And to those who celebrate various other holidays, I hope you guys all had a great time too! Hell, I hope you're having fun even if you don't celebrate anything!

My child-like mind was so happy because I got Epic Mickey (kickass, I love it so much!) and Toy Story 3. Which I cried in AGAIN. That's okay, my mom cried too. And tomorrow…SALES! Love Box-Day sales and madness! So much fun! And Re:Coded is coming out soon! On my birthday actually!

I want to thank everyone who reviewed! You guys are awesome! Shifuni, KaUiA, kirabook, Trainalf, Joahikim, catharsis25, Chairman LoneStar and shadowwolf547!

Oh, and Aqua and Terra will be coming soon. Not the next chapter, but soon. We do see some more familiar faces in the next chapter though!

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	4. Night Of Fate

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Three – Night Of Fate_

It had been nearly seven months since Xehanort thought his plans had failed. He had been sure that his plans had come to an end when Ventus proved to be unwilling, and perhaps unable, to use the powers of darkness. The only proof that he hadn't wasted all of his time training the young boy was found in his new apprentice. This boy proved to be exactly what he was looking for. He was loyal, powerful, and he didn't hesitate is using darkness for even a moment. Though still young, Xehanort knew that the darkness would grow as he continued to.

The boy had taken to wearing a suit mostly made of red and black, including a helmet that he was rarely seen without. Xehanort alone knew what his face looked like, and from time to time, the old man wondered exactly why he looked like he did. His name was Vanitas, and he was what Xehanort would consider to be the perfect apprentice.

Vanitas was only young, a mere child really, but he was very adapt to using the darkness. It wasn't surprising though, since it was all he knew. He proved to be curious, but he had restraint to not ask questions all of the time, unlike Ventus, who had rarely ever shut up.

Xehanort walked along the barren, desert sands of the world he was in, Vanitas walking silently a few feet behind him. He thought about how his plans had almost failed, and that led to thoughts of how his plan came to be. It all started with an old story that all Keyblade apprentices, though there were very few in each generation, learned. It was the story of the Keyblade Wars, and how the darkness had grown in such proportions that even Keyblade Bearers were being corrupted. Some said that all Keyblade Bearers fought one another for power, but others say that it was the light against the dark.

At the end of the Keyblade Wars, there was said to be a 'great light', although no one was really sure what that referred to anymore. Xehanort wanted to find out for himself. Not long after the Keyblade War, a new prophecy seemed to appear out of the shadows that the darkness left behind, and it too had interested Xehanort. He was well versed in the legends of old. He knew the history of the Keyblade like none other, not even his former companion Eraqus.

His mind began to wander as he thought of his fellow Master. How he loathed Eraqus. He himself had been a few years older, having been an apprentice longer, yet in the end it was Eraqus that was given the title of Keyblade Master, and not him. He had to work for a few more years before their master finally said that he was ready. It was also Eraqus who was given power of their world, Land of Departure, when he knew that it should have been him. The other man would get what was coming to him soon though.

Xehanort stopped walking when he was at a crossroads. It was here, in this desert, where the only physical proof of the Keyblade Wars remained. There were hundreds of Keyblades lined there, representing their fallen masters. Some had appeared later on after their Masters died, but many were left from the ancient war.

He looked around and saw Vanitas looking around, the movement of his head being the only indication that he was doing so. Looking back at the Keyblades, he began to speak. "The legend, one that dates to the time of the Keyblade War, states that the darkness would rise again long after the Keyblade Wars have ended. It would spread through the worlds, consuming all within its path. Others will rise to help return the worlds to balance, but it would all be in vain. All will seem lost, and darkness will appear to have won. Out of the shadows will rise a child, one who bears the powers of Kingdom Hearts. This child will be unmarked by a master, instead born with the power of the Keyblade within him, born a pure master with limitless potential whose heart can connect itself to anyone it may choose. He will wield the Keyblade of all Kingdoms in the realm of light. He will rise up and bring the worlds to balance, and peace shall once again reign free."

"I don't think I understand," Vanitas said hesitantly. "Why do we want the darkness to be balanced?"

"The power cannot be truly balanced," Xehanort said. "Typically, the balance is not of equal light and darkness. Light always truly has a little more power. He is meant to bring so called peace to the worlds. He has the power of Kingdom Hearts, which hovers above our very heads."

Vanitas' helmet tilted upwards a bit, but all he saw was swirling dark clouds. He assumed that whatever Kingdom Hearts was, was above the clouds.

"However, the power of Kingdom Hearts can only be controlled by the ruler of Twilight's Destiny. No one is quite sure what Kingdom Hearts actually is, for it looks like a heart-shaped moon that hovers of this world, but when approaching the world from the outside it's not there. It's almost like an illusion, except its power is very real."

"But only the royal family can use this power, right?" Vanitas asked slowly.

"Which is why it's so easy to pin down who we need. The darkness is on the rise, more than ever before, and I have no doubtthat this is the time the ancient legend refers to. I had assumed that it was Ventus, because he was the only young heir to the throne, but it appears that I was wrong. He too can use a Keyblade, as you know, but I am willing to bet that the child in question is one of his two younger siblings. Twins, whom were born but six months ago."

Vanitas nodded and said, "You will never get close to the children though, Master."

"You are right," Xehanort agreed. "However, there are ways around everything. Life is Twilight's Destiny is very structured. We will just have to break their organized structure. I guarantee, if I can't have at least one of those children, no one will."

Vanitas stayed silent, eying his master. A child so young would take them off track with his training, but if his master said that it was what needed to be done, then it would be done. He didn't see how it could really bring any harm to his purpose. Plus, he liked a little chaos in his life. It amused him, it gave him something to do. "Is there anyway I can help?"

"Oh yes," the old man said. "You have a most important part in the chaos that is yet to come my apprentice. Most important."

**VVVVVV**

A small groan escaped Ventus' lips as he heard a loud cry. He tiredly rubbed his eyes and rolled off of his warm bed, wandering out of his room and into the chilly hallway, his sneakers (he had fallen asleep with all of his clothes on) seemed to echo around him with every footstep he took. He could hear one of his baby brothers crying, but that wasn't surprising since his room was only two away from theirs. He didn't usually get up when they cried, but he felt something tugging at his heart and it wouldn't leave him alone until he got up.

He yawned wisely as he reached the room where the twins were kept. Even if he hadn't been feeling the tugging in his heart, he would have known that the one crying so loudly was probably Sora. Out of the two boys, Ventus could admit that he kind of liked Roxas more. Roxas was rather calm, happily playing with his feet and toes until he really wanted someone to tend to him. Roxas' behavior was pretty typical for babies, his parents had explained to him. Sora, on the other hand, was a different story.

Ventus could remember how worried his mother had been at first because of how much Sora loved to sleep. After the first month, once he was asleep, he slept like a rock for hours at a time, so much so that his parents actually had to wake the little boy up to feed him. When Sora wanted attention though, everyone knew. He would scream and cry, much louder than Roxas could. He was much more energetic when he wasn't sleeping, always trying to grab or get into something, and he liked almost constant attention when he was awake. Ventus knew that it was Sora crying from the sheer volume of the sound.

Suddenly, an odd thought struck him. Why was Sora still crying? Usually, if the baby woke up at all at night, his mother would have been in there to calm him down and get him back to sleep within a minute of him crying, but the baby was still sobbing loudly. This realization made Ventus move a little quicker, opening the door to his brothers' room and stepping inside. He looked around, confused that neither of his parents were in there. Come to think of it, at least a maid should have come to tend to the little crying prince.

Ventus moved towards the crib after shutting the door behind him before locking it. Something inside of him knew that he needed to keep the door closed, no matter what. It felt so cold, but it wasn't storming outside so that was odd. Actually, it looked almost calmer than normal outside the castle walls. Ventus unclipped one of the walls of the crib, lowering it so that he could get to Sora easier. His eyes met the tear-filled ones of his little brother, and it struck Ventus as odd that the boy had stopped screaming the second he got into the room.

Sora let out a few small coughs, a few of the left over tears streaking down his cheeks as he held his hands out towards his brother. At only six months old, both Sora and Roxas knew how to communicate that they wanted someone to hold them.

Ventus picked up the boy carefully, exactly how his mother had shown him. He helped her with his two brothers all of the time. His father was always really busy, so he tried to help his mother as much as he possibly could. Besides, he liked his two little brothers and he wanted them to know that he was always there for them.

"What's wrong?" Ventus whispered to the baby. He wasn't expecting an answer, and the only one he got was a small sob as Sora's cubby hands clenched onto his shirt.

He moved over to the other crib, and after lowering the gate, he peered in and saw that Roxas too was awake. Instead of crying like his identical twin was, Roxas' cerulean eyes were darting everywhere. If Ventus didn't know any better, he would have swore that the six-month-old baby looked nervous.

Being incredibly careful in his movements, Ventus picked up Roxas as well. His father had shown him how to hold them both securely when he needed to, and though Roxas wasn't crying, he had a feeling that the boy needed a bit of comfort as well.

That was when it happened. There was a loud explosion from down the hallway followed by screaming. Sora started crying again, but this time Roxas joined in. They weren't screeches of hunger, or cries of wanting attention. They were lower than that, just a bit above sobs, and Ventus could feel that they were scared.

Ventus moved so that they were in a spot where they were hidden from both the door, should someone open it, and from the window. He wasn't sure why he was worried about the window though, because they were several stories up. He sat on the floor and hugged both of his brothers to him, trying to calm them down. He glanced towards the door, and suddenly he saw something blocking part of the light from the window. Looking around, Ventus almost gasped at what he saw.

There was this odd creature that didn't quite look solid, standing on two long, bone-like legs. Ventus watched as it raised one of its long feet into the air, its sharp toenails scraping against the glass and causing the hairs on his neck to stand on end. Its arms were just as skinny as its legs, and its hands were large with vicious looking claws. There was no neck between the head and body and no mouth to be seen, but it did have a pair of piercing yellow eyes. Aside from the yellow of its eyes, the rest of it was pitch black.

Ventus moved back a bit more, but he knew that the creature hadn't seen them yet. Still, it started clawing at the window, and he knew that with claws as sharp as those, it the glass wouldn't last long. He did the only thing he could at that point of time, with two babies in his arms and backed into a corner: he used the emergency exit that was in the room.

It was a hidden passage, just behind the groove that he was hiding in. The hidden passages had been created by his grandfather, leading from all the bedrooms to safer places, should something ever happen. They had never been used before, not even by Ventus to play in, so he had no clue where the hall actually went.

He got inside of the passage, and it slid shut behind him just as the sound of the window shattering met his ears. He hurried down the dark hall, but he wasn't going very fast. He had only ever carried both of his brothers once, but he knew that he had no choice but to keep moving with them both. He was not going to leave one of them behind.

The passage ended with a doorway that he slid open. Peering around, he saw that there was nothing in his way, but he could hear screaming and the sounds of fighting from the room beside him. He was glad that Sora and Roxas had both gone silent as he slipped through the hall unnoticed by anything. He realized that the entrance was right down the hall, so if he could just get there—

He skidded to a stop when he reached the balcony overlooking the entrance hall. There were people down the stairs fighting the creatures like the one that had entered his brothers' room. They were blocking the only exit though, so he had no clue what to do.

Ventus jumped as a hand grabbed him firmly and yanked him back. He was about to yell, but stopped when he saw that it was his mother who had pulled him away.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked, looking harassed, fearful and angry all at the same time. "And with the babies at that?"

"Sora was crying and I went in and those things are in their room mom. I just got away from them."

Ayame took a deep breath before nodding her head. She took Sora into her arms so that Ventus could get a better grip on Roxas and said, "Come on, we have to—" She never got to finish her sentence. A pillar from above them fell, smashing the railing of the balcony and putting a barrier between them. It wasn't that big, they could both still see over it, but that wasn't the problem.

In front of Ventus stood a figure a bit taller than him wearing imposing getup made of black and red material. In his hand was a sword-like weapon that, while different, Ventus was familiar with.

"Why do you have a Keyblade?" he demanded as he got up and backed away from this figure.

"Why do you think, idiot?" the boy in the mask snapped. "Why don't you give me the brat, and I can be on my way."

"No way," Ventus snapped back. He cradled Roxas in one arm, his Keyblade appearing in the other one.

The masked boy chuckled and said, "Lets see what you've got then."

**VVVVVV**

Ayame had been hit in the head with a stray piece of the marble that had fallen, leaving her woozily holding Sora while lying on the floor. She was vaguely aware of the noise around her, and of the pain in her head, but that wasn't what brought her back to reality. It was the feeling of a warm liquid on her fingers that brought her back. Yes, her head was bleeding a bit, but it wouldn't have been there on her fingers.

She looked down suddenly, horror passing through her as she saw that the blood wasn't coming from her, it was coming from Sora. The baby was awake, and he wasn't crying, but he was bleeding badly.

"No, no," she muttered as she sat up, ignoring everything as she checked over her injured son. "Don't do this to me baby. I thought I lost you once, I won't lose you again." She ripped the brown cloak that she had on, first wrapping his stomach securely before bundling him in the rest of it. She kept pressure to the wound, causing Sora to squirm and cry out with pain and discomfort, and as she did, she remembered exactly what had happened.

Her head shot around and she let out a scream as she saw Ventus hit the ground, a boy in a mask holding a screaming Roxas.

"This isn't the one I need," he remarked after observing Roxas for a moment. He was literally about to toss the baby when Raiden seemed to appear out of nowhere. He managed to grab Roxas just in time, and Ventus jumped at the masked boy with his Keyblade.

"You're not hurting either of my brothers," Ven snapped at him viciously.

The masked figure was about to say something else when Raiden threw his sword at him. While he was able to stop himself from getting stabbed, the only choice the boy had to get away was to let himself fall over the balcony. He looked back up at the family, knowing that his master was not going to be happy. A wave of dark energy pulsed from him, and a large creature appeared behind the man that had ruined everything.

Raiden didn't even get the chance to look behind him as he felt something stab him through the back, right through the front of his chest. He felt horror pass through him, but not for himself, but for the boy that he was holding in his arms. The blade had pierced through far enough so that—

His thoughts were cut off as the blade, or claw, or whatever it was, was pulled out of him. He slumped to the ground, unable to keep his grip on Roxas as they both fell. Raiden Hikari was dead before he hit the ground, the last thing he ever felt was guilt and horror at not being able to protect one of his sons.

Ayame let out a horrified scream. She managed to get over the destroyed pillar and rushed to the side of her fallen husband and child just as the creature was about to attack again. Ventus got in the way though, stabbing his Keyblade through the center of the creature's body, causing it to vanish. Without a moment to pause, he quickly wheeled around and helped his mother roll his father's body over. The eleven-year-old (just a week shy of twelve) was horrified when he realized that his father was dead.

He felt tears spilling down his cheeks, and his gaze only snapped away from his father's face when he heard his mother sobbing beside him. She quickly handed him Sora before he could really look at her, scooping Roxas off of the ground.

Ventus wanted to throw up, he wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, he wanted to do something as he realized that his baby brother's breathing was starting to slow, his cerulean eyes drifting shut. He could hear his mother saying 'no' over and over again. He watched as his brother stopped breathing, and listened as his mother started screaming. He wished desperately that there was something he could do, some way that he could help. It was at that moment in time when Ventus Hikari truly ceased being just a little kid. His mother couldn't be strong at the moment, so he would be strong for her.

Suddenly, a tiny hand grabbed his. He looked up and saw Sora staring at him, looking rather tired because of the bleeding gash on his stomach. For a moment, Ventus thought that his other brother's eyes were about to close forever too, but instead, Sora reached his little hand out, touching his younger twin. Ayame and Ventus both stared as Roxas' body started glowing. The blue-tinted light got so intense that they had to cover their eyes, only able to open them when they it had dimmed. What they saw when they opened their eyes startled them beyond belief. Roxas was gone, and Sora suddenly seemed a little more alert, his tiredness vanishing. Ayame reached out with shaky hands and carefully unwrapped the bandages that were created from her dress, only to reveal a small scar on Sora's stomach and nothing more.

They had no time to question what had happened, no time to mourn over the loss of two of their beloved family members. More creatures were appearing in the castle, so they had no choice but to run. In a way, Ventus wanted to stay behind and fight (but it was a loosing battle), but he also wanted to just run away too. For his mother's sake, he stuck to her side and ran with her.

They managed to get outside, where people were running and screaming with fear. Ayame hugged Sora close to her, shoving aside anyone who got in her way. She had just lost her husband and her youngest son, she'd be damned if she let anything else happen to her two remaining sons.

Ventus had been running right behind his mother, but he came to a sudden stop, quickly losing track of her. His eyes were focused on a scene not far from him where a man was fighting off the creatures, giving everyone else the chance to run. Others were fighting, but this man caught his attention for a specific reason: he was using a Keyblade.

He watched as one of the creatures jumped at the man from behind, and Ventus could tell that he was oblivious of the danger he was in. Ventus shot forward, his Keyblade appearing in a flash of light in the process. He slammed his weapon into the creature, sending it flying back. Whatever it was, it wasn't the same thing as the creature he had destroyed in the castle, more like the thing that had broken through his brothers' window.

The man looked around and only let his surprise show for a split second before he focused on the creatures again. Ventus stared in awe as he destroyed them with ease, his powerful weapon cutting through them like they were made of warm butter. Whenever one would try to jump from behind, Ventus would send it flying back, but he didn't go chasing after it, not wanting to leave this man's back open.

Finally, when no more of the creatures appeared (though from the screams, they knew there were still more around somewhere), the man let his Keyblade vanish as he straightened up. He glanced around at Ventus, and asked, "How did you get that blade, young one?"

"Oh, um, it came to me on my birthday," Ventus replied with a small shrug, staring at it. "My mom was in trouble, and I had to save her. Mom said that a woman came to the castle when I was only little though and she let me hold her Keyblade, so I guess that was the first time I saw one."

"Have you ever been trained in the art of using a Keyblade?" the man asked.

"No sir," Ventus replied. He had been taught by Xehanort for a while, but he had no memories of that. "Not that I remember."

"Where are your parents?"

He felt ashamed as tears welded up in his eyes. He let his Keyblade vanish and wiped his eyes before saying, "M—my dad's d—dead. A monster killed him...and it killed my…it killed my baby brother at the same time. My mom is here somewhere with my other baby brother. I think they were heading to the islands. There's some safe houses over there."

He nodded his head and said, "My name is Eraqus, and I am a Master of the Keyblade. What is your name?"

"Ventus, but you can call me Ven."

Eraqus nodded his head before saying, "Alright Ven. We shall go find your mother and brother. I'd like to talk to her. Can you show me the way to these safe houses?"

Ventus nodded and said, "Follow me."

Eraqus watched the boy curiously. He had potential, goodness knows he did, but despite his (honest) words of not remembering being trained in the art of the Keyblade, his form _seemed_ almost slightly trained already. He knew how to hold a Keyblade in both an offensive and defensive position, but if he had any sort of other combat training (he knew a lot of people started young), that could explain it as well. He followed the boy, curious to get some answers.

**VVVVVV**

Ayame had realized that Ventus wasn't with her when she was shoved onto the boat heading away from the mainland and to the largest island. She was then forced off the boat, but she didn't go running to the safe houses. Instead, she moved to the beach, staring at the destruction of the mainland, specifically the castle. She didn't really feel anything as she held Sora close, keeping him bundled up inside of the blanket she had made from her ripped cloak. All she could feel was numb, but later on she realized that her body had simply gone into shock. The only thing she could really think about was keeping her baby warm and keeping him close.

"Ayame!"

She twirled around and felt a thrill of relief shoot through her when she saw her mother moving towards her. "Mother!"

The old woman smiled at her weakly before asking, "Where is Ventus? Does Raiden have the other baby?"

All of the pain came rushing back, as if her body knew that her mother was there and she could cry around her. Not even the princess had to be strong all of the time, especially when her mother was nearby. Tears welded up in the woman's eyes, and those she was a fully grown woman with children of her own, she let herself weep on her mother's shoulder while holding her small baby close.

"Mother," she said with a sob. "Raiden's dead, and—and—oh god mother, Roxas too. Raiden was attacked from behind, and he was holding Roxas, and the attack hit him too and–I don't know where Ventus is. He was behind me and now he's gone."

The old woman held her daughter and said, "It will be alright. Your father is putting an end to this madness."

"What?" She looked up at her mother, confusion spreading over her face. "How can father stop this?"

"By using Kingdom Hearts to destroy them all, and using it's power to hide us all again." Before Ayame could say anything, the old woman held up her hand and said in an almost business-like-tone, "He knows he will perish, and after he is gone, Twilight's Destiny will fall, so he is making sure that it at least falls so everyone can survive by controlling what is destroyed and what is not." Most people would have called her cold and collected, not seemingly bothered by the knowledge that her husband had died, nor by the knowledge that her son-in-law and her grandson were dead. Her daughter knew her well though, and she could see the pain inside of the old woman's eyes.

Ayame felt another wave of tears welding up within her at the thought of her beloved father dying, but she didn't get the chance to say anything again when she heard a loud, "Mom! Nannie!"

Both women looked around and saw Ventus rushing towards them, an unfamiliar man not far from him. Ayame let out a happy sob as she hugged her older son to her with one arm, keeping her other one firmly around Sora. The baby stared at his brother, a smile appeared on his small face as he reached out and tugged on Ventus' hair.

"Hey Sora," he said to his baby brother, watching at the boy smiled again. Sora's small eyes suddenly look passed him, staring curiously at the man, who stood back some. Ventus realized who his brother was staring at and said, "Mom, this is Master Eraqus. He got me here. He has a Keyblade too."

Ayame stared at the man warily, remembering what had happened the last time she trusted someone who could use a Keyblade. Unlike Xehanort though, the light she could feel coming off of this man was almost comforting. After a moment, she nodded her head and said, "Thank you, for bringing my son to me."

"You're most welcome," Eraqus replied.

The increase of screams caught their attention, and they looked over, watching awe as a beam of light seemed to streak down from Kingdom Hearts to the castle. The power then seemed to rumble through the entire world, causing everything to shake. There was a blast of strong light, and they all had to cover their eyes.

After the light died, Ventus opened his eyes and let out a gasp. There was no large city in front of him anymore, just a wide, open ocean stretching as far as he could see. He heard some other mummers of confusion around him, everyone wondering what had happened. Their home had been destroyed, their family ripped apart, and yet the only thing that Ventus felt was an almost peaceful calm passing through him. He knew that things would be okay now, at least for a while. It had to be.

**VVVVVV**

**Author's Note**

Sorry for the long wait between chapters. But now I'm back at school and oddly enough it seems that I update more when I have less time on my hands. Stress reliever maybe? I dunno.

Writing the original, this chapter broke my heart to pieces, and it happened again in this one. I didn't WANT to write what I made happen, but it needed to be done to tie this in to both the real KH series and to my Shadows of a Dream.

Wanna know what's an oddly entertaining show? Dexter. I didn't watch it before but I did hear about it, but then all three season (that are on DVD) were on sale for like $30 and I'm like 'I LIKE TV SHOWS' so I bought it. It's weird because it's like all those other typical crime shows but at the same time it's not at all.

Anyway, thank you to all my awesome reviewers: Kingdom hearts birth by sleep, KaUiA, Shifuni, Joahikim, Tainalf, Kittygirl1998, shadowwolf547, Shire Folk and kirabook! You guys are as epic as Epic Mickey.

Goddamn I love that game. I've also grown very fond of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Particularly when he makes faces when Mickey walks away, but when Mickey turns around he goes to whistling. Hmmm…I may just have to work this in. Not to this fic, but future ones!

Next time I'll update will be on January 11th. Unfortunately I won't be able to before that I promise no later! That and it's an awesome day because it's my birthday. 1/11/11 is still pretty freaking cool (month, day, year) even if it's not 11/11/11.

Fun fact: Every chapter title in this particular fic is named after a song on either the albums from KHI and II, or from the unofficial soundtrack for BBS.

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	5. Fragments of Sorrow

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Four –Fragments of Sorrow_

He was standing in the darkness alone with nowhere to go. It was bitterly cold as the wind whipped at the bare skin of his arms, face and legs. He kept moving and walking, even though he wasn't actually going anywhere. His movement at, letting him know that he wasn't about to freeze again.

"Ventus."

He looked around, his spiky blond hair whipping in the wind as he looked for the origin of the voice. He couldn't see anything though, even though he knew something else was there.

"Ventus," the voice repeated, sounding a little louder, as if the person uttering it was growing closer to him. In a way, the voice was familiar, but at the same time he knew he had never heard it before.

He suddenly saw a small figure appear in front of him, looking around with confusion. He felt the breath catch in his chest as he observed the boy with his spiky brown hair, and cerulean blue eyes. The boy was hugging himself to try and stay warm, but it was obviously hard, since he was only in a pair of red shorts with a white and blue t-shirt and a pair of orange sandals. Ventus knew this little boy anywhere.

"So—" He stopped before he could get the entire name out, watching as another figure appeared. This one was tall and imposing, blending in with the darkness so much better than the young boy, whose light kept him lit up and vibrant.

"Ventus," the figure said in the same voice that had been calling him earlier. He couldn't see the features of the figure, not even as it grew level to the young boy. The figure reached down towards the small child, grabbing his arm roughly.

"Let go of him!" Ventus yelled as he started rushing forward. The small boy was struggling, trying to get away, but this figure was so much stronger than he was.

"Why don't you take a trip through memory lane?" the figure said before waving his hand at Ventus.

The blond felt the ground, or whatever it was he was walking on, shatter and he started to fall. The wind felt even colder against him as he tumbled down away from the figure and the struggling boy. As he fell, he could see flashes of the past passing by him. He saw his mother about to be attacked, he saw himself summoning the Keyblade for the first time, he saw his newly born baby brother not breathing, a monstrous creature trying to get into the window of his brothers' room, the creatures attacking everyone, his brother bleeding, a masked figure dropping his other brother, his father being stabbed in the back and dying, his youngest baby brother dying, and his home being destroyed.

He could feel the tears coming from his eyes as he fell. There were so many bad memories, so many things that he wished he could change.

Ventus suddenly felt himself smash into something else, the glass shattering under his and flying around him, shards tearing into his skin as he continued to fall down. He heard only one thing as he kept falling, one thing that seemed to echo around him louder than any sound he had ever heard before.

"VENNY!"

**VVVVVVVVVVV**

His eyes shot open as he jerked up in his bed, breathing heavily to calm the panic and fear running through him. He took several deep breaths as he closed his eyes for a moment before letting them open and staring at his shaking hands. He slowly realized that he was still dressed in his normal day clothes, including the armour that he usually wore. Wracking his sluggish brain, he slowly remembered that he had fallen asleep the second he hit the bed after the intense training that his master had put him through.

Ventus shook his head, his blond hair moving back and forth with the motion. The memories from his past were fresh in his mind, and no matter how hard he tried to get rid of them, they wouldn't fade back into the deepest, darkest part of his heart where they belonged.

He shifted a bit, moving so that he was on his knees staring out his bedroom window and at the dark sky. He couldn't get the sound of his little brother screaming his name out of his mind. It seemed to echo around him, and it made him miss his family even more. It had been such a long time since he visited them.

After Master Eraqus had helped him find his mother again, he offered to train him in the art of the Keyblade. Ventus' mother, Ayame Hikari, had been extremely reluctant, but Eraqus turned out to be a great man with only good intentions. It had been his grandmother, Haruka Hikari who had said that they could trust Eraqus. She always had a good sense of who was good and who was not. She had admitted to being wrong every once and a while, but she was positive that Master Eraqus was a good man.

Of course, Ventus' grandmother had been right. His Master was indeed a great man with only good intentions. He was an excellent teacher, but sometimes Ventus thought he was almost too protective, and that was coming from a boy who had been surrounded by bodyguards constantly while growing up.

Ventus' mind began to wander a bit. God he missed his grandmother. She had died two years ago when he was thirteen, only a year after Twilight's Destiny had been destroyed, and even though he tried to be strong, he couldn't help but shed tears for the old woman. Master Eraqus had understood though, and let him go home for a little while to grieve with his mother and little brother.

He didn't get to go home very often. He rarely left his home in the Land of Departure, and even then never without his Master. It was certainly a beautiful world, and he liked it there, but he wished that he could go and see his mother a little more than once every six months, give or take. The last time he had been home had been back in January for his little brother's fourth birthday.

Ventus smiled a bit as he remembered how excited his little brother was to see him again. Sora had forsaken any presents he was given in favor of clinging to his older brother that he idolized so much. Ventus remembered his mother telling him that, whenever he was gone, Sora would ask every single day where he was and when he was coming home. He hated watching his little brother cry whenever he had to leave, but he knew that it was for the best. He wanted to train, to become stronger to protect his family, but he wanted to keep his training and the danger that could come with it away from them.

He frowned as he remembered a dark figure grabbing Sora in his dreams. That was one thing that Ventus could honestly say that he was terrified of: having his little brother harmed by some dark creature that was just using the boy to get to him.

He glanced up at the sky, suddenly smiling as he saw shooting stars streak through the sky. Whenever Sora saw them, he would clap happily and go on about how he liked shooting stars.

Unable to sleep in his bed, he rolled out of it and quietly walked out of his room. He didn't want to disturb anyone else, but he knew that there was actually very little chance of that happening. His friends, Eraqus' two other apprentices, would have sensed something moving around and were probably already awake, waiting in their beds to see if it was dangerous or not.

Terra and Aqua had become apprentices to Master Eraqus at the same time, even though Terra was a year older than she was. They had already been with their Master for a little over a year before Ventus had come along. Aqua was three years his senior, and she was definitely what he'd call an older sister. Admittedly, she still treated him like a little kid even though he wasn't anymore, but she had the best intentions at heart, and was a great friend. He had to admit though, that after his fourteenth birthday, he had grown a bit of a crush on her. It was nothing too serious, he just thought she was 'super pretty and nice', but it wasn't all that surprising that he thought that. She was really the only girl he interacted with. He had no doubt that she wasn't interested in him, and probably never would be, seeing that she was three years older than he was. He got over it pretty fast though, and just thinking about that crush made him feel embarrassed.

Terra was like his older brother who always kept him on his toes during training. He always pushed him to do better, and always told him about far away worlds that he had never seen. Terra was powerful, and he always wanted to be the best at everything he did. While he always was ready to help Ventus or even Aqua, he was determined to meet his own goals, no matter the cost. He was extremely ambitious, and sometimes it made Ventus a little wary because he wasn't sure how far Terra would go to get what he wanted, or to do what he thought was right.

Ventus made sure to close the door behind him as he got outside. He walked across the cool grass towards the summit that was just up the path from there.

The castle that they lived in was huge structure made of brick with stained glass. It was surrounded by waterfalls, green grass, and because it rested towards the top of a mountain, there were very steep cliffs all around it. It was dangerous there, but he loved to sit against the steep cliff with his legs hanging over the edge. That night though, he didn't feel like it. Once he reached the summit, he chose to lay back on the slightly damp grass, folding his hands behind his head and looking at the sky.

"They sure are beautiful," he muttered as he watched several stars shoot by. "I wonder if Destiny Islands has had any lately? Sora would absolutely love them." Being outside in the cool air comforted him, and his eyes slowly began to slip shut, sending him into a dreamless slumber.

**VVVVVVVVVVV**

The air touching his skin seemed to feel a little warmer as he slowly regained consciousness. He figured that it must have been a little bit later on in the morning, since it was started to heat up just a bit. He slowly blinked his eyes open, seen that it was still dark enough so that the stars were visible, but the sky was a bit lighter than before. The sun would surely be rising sooner rather than later.

Ventus sat up a bit, glancing at the area in front of him. He was sure that he had felt a tap or something earlier, but he couldn't see anything so it was probably just his imagination. He yawned and slumped back down, only to see a young woman leaning over him.

He let out a yell and shot up, turning around onto his knees and facing her as she laughed. She pushed a few pieces of her pale blue hair out of her eyes and said, "Ven you hopeless sleepyhead, why are you sleeping out here?"

"Oh, well, I woke up and there was this nightmare and shooting stars and—" she cut him off by ruffling his hair, her ice-blue eyes dancing with amusement.

"Aqua," he said with a childish whine as he playfully batted her hand away, causing her to laugh again.

Aqua straightened up and glanced towards the sky, walking to the edge of the cliff and sitting down with her legs hanging over the edge. Ventus watched her for a moment before getting up and sitting beside her, watching the stars streak across the sky. He thought about his earlier thoughts of Sora loving shooting stars, and realized that he had never told her that he had a little brother, nor had he told Terra. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, because he really did, it was just that he knew the best way to keep something safe was to keep the knowledge of its existence a secret. Maybe when Sora was a bit older, and could take care of himself better than a four-year-old could, he would tell Aqua and Terra about him, maybe even let them meet him. For now though, Sora and his mother were a secret.

He stared up at the sky before asking, "Hey Aqua?"

"Yeah?" she asked, not bothering to look at him.

"Do you think that a place like heaven and hell really exists?"

She glanced around at him, surprise clearly evident on her face. He had never asked any of them such a question before.

"I really want to believe that there's at least something out there like that," she answered. "You know, a place where we go when we die where we can be with lost loved ones, away from all the evil people out there."

"So why don't you believe then? You said you wanted to."

Aqua looked thoughtful before saying, "There's a world out there where many believe that there's heaven and hell with certain rules to get into heaven. They say that the only way to get in if you've strayed from the rules for only a bit is to ask for forgiveness, but you know, I don't believe that's right. For example, what if someone has a child before they're married? In that world, they say its wrong, but if the people love each other and their baby, what do they have to ask to be forgiven? The point is, how can you divide people into good and bad? It's impossible, and it's all based on perspective. I know that in a place called Olympus there's the Underworld, where all of the dead go no matter who you are, and then there's Mount Olympus with all of the gods there except for the Lord of the Dead. There it doesn't matter what you've done in life, you go to the same place."

Ventus nodded his head before looking back up at the sky and saying, "Where I come from, there are supposedly two gods: one who controls darkness and one who controls light. Neither is good or evil, and neither is superior to the other. It's said that they give everyone their own personal little piece of life after they die. It's like, everyone who dies in observed individually, and everything they've done is taken into account including their motives, and then their little piece of life is changed into whatever suits them. Legend has it that those who are deemed worthy enough will be able to pass over into the tiny pieces of heaven or hell that their loved ones have been given."

"I like that idea," Aqua said after a moment of silence. She leaned back on her arms and asked, "What's with the serious question anyway?"

"I dunno," Ventus replied, "I guess, sometimes you just wonder. I lost some people in my life, and sometimes I wonder if I'll see them again."

"I don't believe in any of it," a deep voice said suddenly. Ventus and Aqua both looked back and saw a tall young man with brown hair heading towards them.

"You don't Terra?" Aqua asked him curiously while tilting her head slightly.

"No," he admitted as he came to a stop beside Ventus. Terra glanced down at his younger friend and said, "I believe in the here and now, and I don't care about what comes before or after."

"There's more to life then that," Ventus argued, feeling a bit insulted by Terra's personal thoughts. He couldn't get the image of his father being stabbed and of baby Roxas dying out of his mind. "There has to be." He could still see newly born Sora, who had been stillborn, coming back to life in his arms.

Terra and Aqua both look at him with surprise, neither of them expecting him to sound so angry about it. They glanced at each other quickly before looking back at their young friend. Neither of them knew what Ventus had gone through before Master Eraqus turned up with him one day, and while he was definitely open about most things, he was not one to share when it came to his past, so they had never bothered asking. Aqua had a feeling that his answer had to do with the people he said that he lost earlier on.

"If you want to believe that, go ahead," Terra said after a moment. He seemed to pull a wooden sword out of nowhere with his name carved into it. It was the first training weapon he had ever had, even before he had ever used a Keyblade himself. "I just want to focus on life as it is, and nothing more or less. I don't want to think about what comes before birth, or what comes after death. It might as well all just be sleep as far as I'm concerned. It's dreams for your life that matter. And my dream is to be a Master!"

Aqua laughed a bit and said, "Don't you mean our dream, Terra?"

The brunet nodded his head and knelt down next to a rather putout looking Ventus. The blond glanced at him and he held out the weapon and said, "Here, it gave me good luck so far."

Ventus smiled weakly as he took the wooden sword that Terra let him use from time to time. He would have to use something similar to show Sora how to fight as he got older. He sighed and said, "You guys are going to be doing your Mark of Mastery Exams tomorrow though, so it's not like your dream is far-off. What about after that?"

"I don't know," Terra answered honestly. "I'll think about it when it comes to that. Live in the moment Ven, the past and the future only cause problems."

"Terra," Aqua growled at him sharply. Her eyes turned to Ventus again, noticing how his smile seemed to drop at Terra's words. She put a hand on the blond's shoulder and asked, "Want to get in a bit of practice in? Unless you're too tired and would rather be a hopeless sleepyhead?"

Ventus smiled at her and said, "Might as well, right?"

"Yeah, Aqua needs all the help she can get for the exams," Terra joked.

She glared at him and summoned her Keyblade before saying, "You're first."

Ventus watched his two friends spar with interest. Their fighting styles were all so different. Terra used his physical strength to his advantage, attacking with pure power over everything else. His hits were almost ferocious, but his movements were slower, harsh and ragged. In contrast, Aqua's movements were fluid and graceful. She was able to manipulate magic like no other he had ever seen before. What she could do went far beyond a simple firaga or curaga spell.

Ventus, as he had been told many times, was the fastest of them all. Whereas Terra was stronger and Aqua's magic could flatten him, they'd both have to catch him to cause any damage. More often than not, it was Aqua who managed to do him in because her magic was quicker than Terra's strength.

For him though, being the fastest was what mattered. He didn't want to be the most powerful, or the wisest one around. He just wanted to be able to be fast enough to get to his remaining family on time. It was all he thought about. Maybe if he had been faster, he could have escaped the castle on time with both of his brothers. Or maybe he could have saved his father or something like that. He just needed to be fast enough to get to his mother and Sora in case something bad happened.

"Ven!"

He jumped again, seeing a frowning Aqua in front of him. He hadn't even realized that their duel had finished. Terra looked like he was about to say something, but Aqua held up her hand to him before asking, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Maybe I am more tired than I let on," he mumbled.

"Well, you haven't been sleeping very good lately," Terra said with a shrug. "I hear you moving around a lot."

Aqua stared at Ventus for a moment before asking, "Do you have nightmares often? I hear you sometimes too but, well, I just worry. You know that if you ever want to talk to someone, you can come wake me up. I won't mind."

Ventus cracked a grin and said, "I'm surprise you haven't strangled me for getting up and waking you up the night before your exam."

"I haven't been able to sleep," she admitted sheepishly. "Too excited. Don't worry about it though. You can wake me up any time you need me."

Terra shook his head before saying, "Don't listen to her Ven. Try to wake her up and she'll set you on fire or something."

"I wouldn't do that to Ven," Aqua said calmly. "You on the other hand..."

This time Ventus was the one to shake his head, the grin not leaving his face as they bantered back and forth. There was no doubt about it, these two were his best friends, and he considered them part of his family. They made being away from his mother and his brother bearable. Maybe he could trust them with the secret of his little brother sooner than he thought, but he would wait until after their Mark of Mastery Exams. He didn't want anything to distract his friends. If anyone deserved to reach their goals, it was definitely Terra and Aqua.

"You know, tomorrow's going to bring some sort of change," Aqua said after she had Terra stopped their rather childish argument that had ended up in a 'do not', 'do too' phase.

"Yeah. I'll definitely be a Master, and you'll maybe be one," Terra said, but she just rolled her eyes at him.

She looked away from both of them and stared up at the sky. "You know, somewhere out there, there's a world that has a tree with a star-shaped fruit. Sounds weird, doesn't it?" Terra shrugged and Ventus didn't answer, recognizing the description. "It's said that the fruit itself represents a connection that can never be broken. Some even say that if you make a charm out of the skin of the fruit, or in the shape of it, and you make one for your friends or someone close to you as well, nothing can ever truly tear you apart."

Ventus smiled a bit. She was talking about a paopu fruit. The legend behind it was certainly a romantic and almost mystical one, but the children on Destiny Islands were forbidden from eating it. They were only traditionally used in wedding ceremonies, and he eventually got his mother to admit that it was because it was a proven aphrodisiac. It wouldn't do anything to a child, but they started at a young age saying not to eat the fruit for when the children would become teenagers.

Explaining to little Sora why he couldn't eat the funny-shaped fruit had been interesting after that. This mother's sadistic side gave him the task of finding a suitable explanation to give his teary-eyed brother who had been denied the bright, star-shaped fruit.

Still, he wasn't going to tell Aqua about it. It wasn't so much the fruit itself that really mattered, it was the meaning behind it, and he knew that's what she was getting at.

"I made these," she said, tossing something to both Terra and Ventus.

The blond looked down curiously and saw a green star-shaped charm with their symbol in the center. He glanced over at Terra's and saw the same, except orange.

Aqua held her own charm up, the same but blue, and said, "As long as we have these, we'll always be together. Of course, I may have cheated by infusing them with a bit of magic, but it's still what they represent that matters."

The three stood admiring their new charms. Ventus couldn't help but smile, knowing that, without a doubt, these two would always be his friends through both thick and thin. His smile quickly vanished though as an odd feeling came from his heart and ran through his entire body. Terra and Aqua didn't notice him look around suddenly. He felt uncomfortable, as if something dark was watching him. It felt almost familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Looking around, he thought he saw a dark shadow out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked around in that direction again, it was gone.

He shook his head, deciding that he was just imagining it. He really needed to get some sleep. All of his worries about his friends and family were making him see strange things. His loud yawn caused Aqua and Terra to look at him before laughing.

"Come on Ven," Aqua said, her voice holding a teasing tone. "We had better get you to bed."

"Be good and she might even read you a story," Terra joked. Aqua punched him on his unarmoured arm, but he didn't seem to flinch. When she looked away though, he rubbed his arms and mouthed an 'ow' to Ventus. The blond shook his head with amusement and started heading back inside. They were probably right that he should get some sleep while he could.

They would have to be up in an hour to run the obstacle course anyway.

**Author's Note**

As promised, January 11th and here's an update! Though there almost wasn't because my computer spazzes when I leave it on too long. It's old and heats up until I'm sure I could somehow curl/straighten my hair on it, so if I leave it on too long it won't turn on for like three days. Luckily it started working again last night. But damnit, I needed to use photoshop for a project!

Anyway, you get an update. It might seem a little dull and boring, but this fic is not so much about the adventure, but the emotions, the thoughts, the feelings, and what actually ends up happening. That's why I'm not taking them through all the different Disney Worlds.

Speaking of Disney World, this is the last time I'll mention Epic Mickey, I promise, because I'm almost at the end of the game, I started it over because I realized I was failing miserably, and at one point of time Oswald says that Wasteland was based on 'the original' or something like that, and I nearly had a spazz. Why? Because I realized that the main place in the game 'Mean Street', is completely based on actual Disney World. The layout's the same, and all the portals to the different levels or whatever are positioned where the corresponding place in Disney world is. Ie: The projector to Tomorrow City is in the same place as Tomorrowland in Disney World. I notice the most random effing things.

Hmmm..I don't really have much to say. I might be update Skyward later today, not exactly sure. Depends really. Any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'll explain what I can without giving everything away, because with this one, you already really know what ends up happening.

Thank you, as always, to my awesome readers and reviewers! I know I don't reply to all of you all the time, but I'll do my best to try to reply this time! So thank you to: Trainalf, Chairman LoneStar, Joahikim, KaUiA, Twilight Cardmistress, Kingdommad, shadowwolf547, Shifuni, and AKAAkira!

Next update will be…I dunno when. I'm kinda failing with the chapter I'm writing right now. Some people ask 'how can it be so hard to write a rewrite'. Well, when it's this different, it gets a little difficult.

ALSO RE:CODED WAS RELEASED TODAY! FUCK YEAH! Mom wanted to buy it for me for my b-day, so I have to wait for her to mail it to me instead of getting it on my own today. Bonus side: she definitely got the extra stuff that was supposed to come with it. lol

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	6. What Lies Beneath

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Five – What Lies Beneath_

If he was going to be completely honest, Ventus was a little bitter that Master Eraqus had deemed him not ready for the Mark of Mastery Exam. He could understand why though, because Terra and Aqua had been apprentices longer than he had. At the same time though, if he tried hard enough (and Terra and Aqua were both having an off day), he knew that he could beat them in a one on one fight. Ventus had grown up knowing how to act one way in public and another in private, so he never let anyone else into his bitterness. Eraqus had known though, and he had called Ventus out on it the day before when it had just been the two of them training. Ventus admitted he was a bit jealous, but he understood so his jealousy wouldn't get in the way of anything. That was all Eraqus could ask for.

Ventus had once watched a movie where some old order lost in it's old ways insisted that emotions were horrible things and to squash them down when possible. They thought that emotions led to darkness. Ventus could see where the screenwriters had taken this idea from, and he admitted that they did have a point, but at the same time, they were wrong. Emotions were important to light as well. If someone could feel jealousy and admit it, why would they go to the darkness? It didn't matter though, because in those movies that order got destroyed anyway because of that.

Sora had almost fallen asleep while watching them before deciding that watching his cartoon movies was a much better idea.

Master Eraqus told him that he was allowed to see Terra and Aqua's examination. All of them were different, so it wasn't like he'd have an unfair advantage when his time came. He helped his master clean up the room, and then he stood off to the side, waiting for his friends to be summoned. A few moments later, Eraqus returned, but he wasn't alone. There was an older man who was slightly hunched over there, and something about him seemed eerily familiar.

The man's yellow eyes turned to him, and he stopped, staring at Ventus as if trying to drill into his soul. Eraqus looked around, smiled and said, "This is my youngest apprentice, Ventus. Ventus, this is Master Xehanort."

"Good to meet you Master Xehanort," Ventus said politely, his body tensing up completely straight. There was something about this man that just seemed so familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. There was a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach, something that only happened when something was wrong. Eraqus didn't seem all that worried though, so he didn't say a word.

"Ventus," Xehanort muttered. "My own apprentice is about your age."

"I didn't know you had an apprentice," Eraqus said conversationally. "Will he or she be joining us?"

"No. I gave him another task to complete in my absence." Ventus didn't like how the man was staring at him. It was a look of interest and curiosity, but at the same time he felt as if he was being regarded as pray. There was something cold about his burning orange eyes, something that he didn't like in the least.

"Hmm," Eraqus hummed. "Terra and Aqua should be here in a moment. Ventus, if you will..."

"Yes Master," he replied quickly, and swiftly walked towards the door. Once he got there, he turned around and waited for his Master to give him the sign before letting his friends in. Once he saw Eraqus nod, he quickly opened the door.

Aqua and Terra waited outside, both looking fairly surprised to see Ventus there. They hadn't seen him all day, but that was because he was running around doing last minute things to help Master Eraqus prepare.

"Good luck," Ventus whispered to them, opening the doors the rest of the way and rushing over to the side so that he was out of the way but could still see everything.

Terra and Aqua both walked in, the large doors closing behind them as they approached their Master. He stood up, nodded at the two and said, "There are so few Keyblade Bearers today. Majority of them are in this very room as we speak. Today, we are all here to witness not one, but two of our youngest potential Keyblade Masters take the Mark of Mastery Examination. This is more than just a test of strength, this is a test of heart. I'm sure that Master Xehanort has not traveled all of this way just to see you fall short of the Mark."

Terra looked at the old man, and though his face remained neutral, he was curious. He had known that Master Eraqus had fellow pupils when he was an apprentice, but he had never mentioned any of them. The only one that Terra had ever heard mention of was Yen Sid, who was older than any of them could guess, but still alive due to the fact that he was a powerful sorcerer outside of being a Keyblade Master. Terra also knew that Yen Sid had hung up his Keyblade long ago, choosing to live the life of a sorcerer instead. He wondered if he'd have the chance to ask Master Xehanort a few questions later, maybe get some answers to things that he knew his Master would not answer.

Aqua, on the other hand, avoided looking at Xehanort. She felt his eyes on her for a moment and tensed up, focusing on her Master instead. There was something about him that she didn't like. She knew that, in a way, her Master was blinded by the fact that Xehanort was an old friend of his, but she was surprised that he didn't feel it too. A look out of the corner of her eye told her that Ventus too seemed to catch that something was off, and Aqua was willing to bet that it was for the same reason. She could see him warily eyeing Xehanort, and he was more tense than normal.

Her attention quickly shifted back to Eraqus as he announced, "The examination will begin." He summoned his Keyblade and several orbs of light appeared around them. Both she and Terra summoned their own weapons, ready to strike, when something odd happened. The light was quickly corrupted by darkness, hovering around them menacingly. They started to move quickly and out of the corner of her eye she saw one streak towards Ventus.

"Ven!" she heard Terra cry out at the same time that she did. He was easily able to block it though. Sometimes she forgot that he wasn't just the small, weak little boy that Eraqus had brought home one day.

"I'm fine, focus on the exam!" he called out.

"Ven, it's not safe," Aqua insisted, striking an orb that flew towards her. "Go to your room." Part of her wondered why Eraqus wasn't stopping this, and part of her wondered where the darkness had come from in the first place.

"Who are you, my mom?" Ventus replied striking another orb. "I'm good. I can use the Keyblade just like you can."

"He'll be fine," Terra said to her.

Each of them jumped in separate directions, but Ventus tried to stay out of the way a bit. He could see Master Eraqus observing them and knew that, though this wasn't planned, he was letting it count as their exam. Ventus didn't want to draw any attention from his friends. Then again, they were both much more impressive and powerful than he was, so he doubted that Eraqus would be distracted by him.

He could feel Xehanort's eyes boring into him, as if trying to read his every action to bore into his heart. The man made him feel extremely uncomfortable, though he had no idea why. He was sure that he would have remembered meeting someone with the name Xehanort before. It wasn't exactly a common name. He had met someone when he was really little though. Someone who had let him touch their Keyblade and that was how he had inherited his own. While he was sure he would have remembered Xehanort's eerie orange eyes, he still couldn't shake off the feeling that he knew him.

Working together, he, Aqua and Terra managed to destroy all of the corrupted light orbs. He quickly moved off to the side before his friends could even realize hat he was gone.

Eraqus walked forward, and both Aqua and Terra snapped to attention. The Master nodded at them before saying, "That was unexpected, but things are rarely what they seem in the life of a Keyblade Master. I let these events unravel for your benefit, and you both—you all did well." Ventus smiled slightly. "Now, it is time to show me what you have learned. The easiest way to do so is to face an enemy that is equal or stronger than you. That is why, Aqua, Terra, you will face each other. Remember, it may not be the winner who will be given the mark. It could be both or neither, or even just one."

Ventus watched his friend as they stood facing each other, Keyblades at the ready. He knew that if Terra could draw Aqua in and try to overcome her with his sheer strength and powerful attacks, he would win. However, if Aqua was too quick for him and managed to keep a bit of distance between them, her magic could easily overwhelm him.

While Ventus wanted both of his friends to succeed, he felt a little conflicted about the entire thing. He wanted Terra to become a Master, he really did, but he wasn't too sure if Terra was really ready to be a Master. On the flip side, he could tell that Aqua was ready, and he did want her to succeed, but he also didn't want her to at the same time. It wasn't that he wanted her to fail, but she was so forceful and bossy at times as it was. He knew that she had the best intentions at heart though, so it couldn't hold that against her.

As soon as Eraqus gave the word, they lunged at each other. Like Ventus predicted, when Terra managed to get in some hits Aqua always had to go on the defense, but Aqua was doing a good job as keeping away from him enough so that she could land hits but not be overpowered.

They were fast, and Ventus felt a wave of both pride and envy pass through him. They were both so strong, so powerful. While he was glad that they were, because they worked so hard, he couldn't help but be jealous. He always struggled a little more than they did, and he didn't know why. It wasn't to say that he was completely useless or anything, it was just that they were better.

He blinked with confusion as he watched. Aqua's Keyblade almost connected to Terra's chin, only missing because he tilted his head up. For a moment, he saw rage pass through Terra's eyes, though if it was at Aqua or himself, Ventus couldn't guess. Then, for a moment, it seemed like his arm was surrounded in darkness. Terra managed to get it to go away, but suddenly Aqua seemed a little more cautious in her movements. She had seen it too.

Ventus' eyes snapped towards Master Eraqus and saw him frowning heavily, his eyes lingering on Terra. The blond boy suddenly felt sick to the stomach. He had a feeling that what had happened would definitely effect their judgment on his friend.

Ventus let his eyes trail to Master Xehanort for a moment and a frown spread across his features. If he could guess, he would almost be willing to say that Xehanort looked smug about something. As if sensing Ventus' scrutiny, Xehanort schooled his face to a neutral expression and turned his gaze to boy, who straightened up and looked back towards the battle.

He watched them spar and in the end, Terra managed to knock Aqua to the ground and hold his Keyblade to her neck, but at the exact same time she managed to knock his legs out from under him and hold her Keyblade to his neck. Ventus had to let out a soft snort of amusement. They looked absolutely ridiculous.

Master Eraqus stood and said, "You have both done well. Xehanort and I will pass our judgment, but first we must confer. Please, wait outside until I summon you. You too Ventus."

All three of them stood up straight and chimed, "Yes Master." Then they quickly left through the large doors.

**VVVVVV**

The second that they got outside, all of their straight postures relaxed. Ventus turned to talk to his friends but Terra let out a deep groan and flopped back onto the grass, staring up at the sky.

Aqua and Ventus shared a confused look before Aqua asked, "Are you okay?"

"I messed up," Terra said. "I mean, a draw? Defeat is better than that! I should have been able to do better!"

Aqua glowered at him now and said, "Why? You think you're better than me? Ashamed that I took you down when you took me down? I am just as strong as you Terra, our strengths just lie in different places. What do you think Ven?"

"What?" the blond boy asked with surprise.

"Well," Aqua said thoughtfully as she sat down on the fresh green grass, not far from Terra, "you were an observer but you weren't passing judgment on us, and you're friends with both of us, so you're on neutral ground. How do you think we did?"

Ventus replayed the battle in his mind and said, "You were both really good. Half the time I couldn't guess who was going to come out on top. A tie seems almost…fitting I guess. But, there was one thing I saw—one thing I think that the Master saw…"

A look of realization passed over Aqua's face and she looked around at Terra. The tall young man looked at his friends and said, "I know. I don't know what it was but…" He just shrugged, unable to find the words for what he really wanted to say.

They sat in silence, Ventus leaning against a tree with his hands behind his head and staring up at the sky. Aqua was fiddling with the petals of a flower, and though she looked calm, her eyes kept flickering towards the large staircase nervously. Terra didn't appear to notice anything, lying out on the ground and just staring at the sky above him.

Suddenly, the doors creaked open loudly, and Ventus found that it was almost foreboding, in a way. He was the first to register what was going on, and though he wasn't being judged that day, he quickly got to his feet and moved to the bottom of the steps, his posture straight and his expression neutral. A moment later, Terra and Aqua appeared on either side of him.

Eraqus observed the three of them for a moment and said, "Come. Master Xehanort and I have reached a decision."

Ventus trailed behind his friends, his eyes glancing from one to the other. Both, though they would deny it, were incredibly nervous, he could tell from their tense forms. He couldn't blame them though. He was sure that when the time came for him to take his Mark of Mastery Exam, he would be just like them.

For a moment he entertained the thought of what his would be like. Surely, even if one of them failed to receive the Mark this time, they would both be Masters by then. He would have no one of his equal power to fight against. His exam would definitely have to be different.

He suddenly stopped walking, a confused look passing over his face as he turned around, staring at the hall that ran perpendicular to the one they were walking down. He continued to stare down it for a moment before he heard Master Eraqus call his name. He quickly snapped back to attention and rushed towards the large doors.

Ventus would have sworn that he saw another person dressed in black down that hallway.

He moved to his spot at the side of the large audience chamber. Xehanort sat in his throne-like chair and Eraqus stood at the center of the raised platform. Terra and Aqua stood side by side, staring up at their Master with serious expressions.

"You have both done remarkably today, even in unexpected events. You have both learned a lot, and I am proud to say that you are my apprentices. However, only one of you will be given the Mark today. Aqua. Terra, you did well, however, your heart is much too controlled by the darkness. You must first learn to control it, instead of letting it rule you."

Aqua turned towards Terra. Though she was excited that she was now a Keyblade Master, she managed to keep her expression schooled so that he wouldn't see that. She could only imagine how devastated that he actually was. He had been talking about being a Master since they were only young. He had always wanted it more than she ever had. Not to say that it hadn't been her goal since Eraqus chose her as an apprentice. Terra was just the one who strived towards it the most.

"Terra…" she trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Hey," Ventus said hesitantly as he rushed over. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Terra muttered, the disappointment in his voice obvious. "I'm okay. I just need to be alone." With that, he turned and walked out of the room before being dismissed.

Ventus and Aqua both watched him go with sad expressions on their faces. Eraqus approached them and said, "He needs time to think. Ventus, you may leave, but I'd suggest leaving Terra to his own devices for now. Aqua, now that you are a Keyblade Master, there is certain knowledge that you now have access to…"

Ventus wasn't paying attention to what Eraqus said. Instead, he watched Master Xehanort slowly leave the room. He waited for a moment, sure that the man was gone, before he made his way out of the audience chamber and to his own room, trying to piece together the events of the day.

**VVVVVV**

Terra let out a groan as he walked out of the doors. He didn't run, that would just make him look like a child who wanted to run off and sulk. Really, that was exactly what he wanted to do, but he had to refrain.

He wasn't quite sure where he was going, he just let his legs lead the way. He was a little startled to see that he had ended up at the summit overlooking their world. It had been a long day, and it wasn't even close to being over yet. True, the sun was lower in the sky, but it wouldn't be sunset for a few hours just yet. They had no real seasons in Land of Departure, and things were always the same.

Predictable and boring.

He knew that he was going to fail the exam. He hadn't just been spewing concerns to Ventus and Aqua, though that's what they thought he was doing. Terra knew for a fact that he could never live up to his Master's expectations. He strived to be the best, to make sure that no one blocked his way from his goals. He even stepped over his friends to be better than them at times. But he still wasn't strong enough.

"Something troubling you boy?"

Terra jumped a bit, startled as he whirled around. He hadn't heard Master Xehanort approach, he hadn't even sensed him coming. Then again, this man practically radiated with power. Terra had the feeling that if Xehanort didn't want him to know he was there, he would still be in the dark.

Terra sighed, registering the question in his mind as he looked down at the world before him. "I don't understand Master Xehanort. I don't know what else I need to do. I've fought to become strong, I've trained harder than Aqua and Ven can imagine. This bit of darkness…is it that much of a problem? Please Master Xehanort, tell me what it is that I've failed to learn!"

"You've failed nothing. It's a misconception of Master Eraqus' that light is the only way to be, and that darkness is wrong. Channel the darkness, make it your own. If you can control it than it can't control you. Something that has all light in it can be evil too." Xehanort walked passed Terra, staring out at the sky with his hands behind his slouched back. "Actually, that is where my apprentice is."

Terra wasn't quite sure what to say to that. He didn't want to point out that his statement didn't really make any sense, but he also wanted to know what was going on. He chose the middle road. He chose silence.

Xehanort seemed to realize this and said, "There is but a child somewhere out there, a child with a very unbalanced heart. His light outweighs his darkness far too much. For most, this would leave them in a catatonic state, though there are a few other exceptions of pure light. This child is something different all together. He is creating vicious monsters, even if he doesn't realize it. He must be stopped. My apprentice is searching for him, attempting to find him to being the child to me. Maybe I can set the boy right, or maybe it is too late already."

"Wait, the boy's light outweighs the darkness? And he's creating evil things…" It didn't seem right in Terra's mind.

"Misconceptions of light and darkness Terra. Just because it's light, doesn't mean it's good. Perhaps you could help search for him. My apprentice isn't quite as trained as you." Then, Xehanort turned away and walked back the way he came.

Terra continued staring out over the Land of Departure thoughtfully, missing the dark, smug smirk that appeared on Xehanort's face as he vanished into a corridor of darkness.

**VVVVVV**

Aqua felt exhausted, but it came as no surprise to her. It had been a long day. From last minute training in the morning, to the actual Mark of Mastery exams, to finding out that she was a Master and learning so much that she didn't know before, it was an exhausting day.

It was true, she felt bad for Terra, who hadn't been made a Master. Her excitement that came from finally becoming a Master overshadowed her sadness for Terra. It might have seemed selfish, but really, she had worked just had hard as he had. Did she not deserve the chance to relish in her own success even for a moment? If Terra to become a Master, and she had been rejected, he wouldn't have looked back at her for a second. He strived for power, it was like he craved it above all other things.

She sighed as she looked out the window she was passing. It wasn't even nighttime yet. The sky was getting darker, but all things considered, the day was still young. Still, she wanted to just flop onto her bed and sleep for hours on end.

She paused outside of Ventus' door, listening carefully. She could practically feel his presence from inside, it was hard not to feel the light that radiated with, and she wanted to make sure that he was alright. He said that she mothered him too much, and maybe it was true, but she had always seen him as a little brother. He had come into their ranks as a child just starting to go into those pre-teen years. He had seemed so lost and alone, but at the same time, so determined and much older than he actually was. She had taken him under her wing like a little brother. It was hard to see him as anything else aside from that little boy.

Aqua continued on her way down the hall. She went into her room and flopped ungracefully onto the bed, burying her face in the thick lavender blanket. Her eyes just began to close when a loud, echoing sound rang through the air. It sounded almost like church bells, but it had a darker meaning. It meant that something was wrong.

Aqua quickly got up and rushed out of her room, running down the hall as quickly as she could, not noticing that Ventus didn't even bother opening his door to peek out. She made it to the audience chamber in record timing, Terra appearing behind her a moment later.

They both watched as Master Eraqus spoke to someone through some sort of object before he turned to face them and said, "There is something dark threatening the worlds. At first, it appeared to be one being, some sort of creatures that, to my good friend Yen Sid's knowledge, are called Unversed. They are appearing in mass quantities across the worlds. There appears to be some other sort of creature, though Yen Sid was unable to determine what they are. I am counting on you to go and stop them from destroying the balance." Eraqus turned his eyes to Terra. "Consider this a second chance to change my mind. I have unlocked the lanes in-between for you. Remember though, they are dangerous, and you must always be on your guard."

Aqua glanced over at Terra out of the corner of her eye. Though his face stayed straight, she could see the determination appearing in his eyes. He would do whatever it took to succeed, and that was slightly unnerving to her.

"Yes Master," Terra said quickly. "I promise, I won't let you down ever again." He was eager to get on the movie to prove himself. He quickly rushed out of the room.

"Aqua," Eraqus said before she could leave. "Keep an eye out for him."

"Master?" she questioned slowly.

"There is a great darkness lurking in him. I fear that it will soon rise beyond his control. If this happens, you must bring him home to me. Do you understand?"

Aqua stared at him for a moment before saying, "Yes Master Eraqus." He turned to leave but stopped as she continued to speak. "But he's not as weak as you think."

**VVVVVV**

When Ventus had gone to his room earlier, he had fully intended on collapsing and having a nap or something. He enjoyed naps a lot, and always valued the fact that, when he was home, Sora usually had a naptime, so he had a legitimate reason to nap as well. He didn't want to wake his brother, but he wanted to stay with him. His mother always rolled her eyes at that.

With a small smile, Ventus remembered that his mother used to find someone rolling their eyes very offensive. Though he wasn't actually sure why, most people's memories of Twilight's Destiny began to fade away, and there were very few people that remembered it. Ventus' supposed that it was some sort of fail-safe to protect Kingdom Hearts, but he couldn't be sure. What he did know is that his mother was only seen as a widow whose deceased parents left her a great sum of money, so she didn't have to work. That, and she had an adorable little son who was always smiling, and a mysterious older one that was rarely home. They just assumed that he went to another island.

Upon reaching his bedroom, Ventus discovered a book resting on his bed. Sometimes, when Master Eraqus was going to be busy, he'd leave books or articles in their rooms for them to read, or instructions on some task. So he didn't think twice about seeing the heavy, black book with faded, metallic lettering.

There was a bookmark in between the old pages. So he flipped to that one first and started reading. It wasn't uncommon for Eraqus to mark off sections that he wanted them to read in fairly big books as well.

Ventus expected some sort of boring document with details that he would never remember (admittedly, he wasn't the best with book work, and if he went to public school, he probably would have been an average B student). What he didn't expect was a short, random and obscure thing that made so much sense to him.

_A child born destined to be the Master of all Keyblade Bearers in a time of great darkness. His ability to open the Door to Light and control the power of Kingdom Hearts will mark him. To chaos or peace, it will be his own choice._

He felt the hairs rising up at the back of his neck. The words 'control the power of Kingdom Hearts' seemed to glow before him. The rest, it could refer to any random child. However, those words—he knew for a fact that those words could only point to three children.

Ventus winced. That was a lie. There were only two people now, and he knew for a fact that it couldn't be him. He certainly wasn't destined to be the Master of all Keyblade Bearers, and he was positive that he couldn't open the door to light.

A pair of cerulean blue eyes coupled with spiky brown hair entered his thoughts. His little brother.

Suddenly, Ventus felt sick to his stomach. He barely reacted when he heard the loud bells roaring through the air. He stared at the book for a moment before shaking his head. He was over thinking it—but if Master Eraqus had left the book in his room for him to see…no that was impossible. He had never told Eraqus that he was a prince. As far as his Master knew, his family was just a normal surviving one from Twilight's Destiny.

Shaking his head, he finally registered the sound. He quickly set the book down and rushed out of the room and towards the audience chamber. Before he could reach the closed door, it burst open and Terra rushed passed him.

Frowning a bit, he looked form the room to his friend and called out, "Terra!" He quickly rushed after him, going down the stairs as fast as he could. He finally reached Terra, who already had his Keyblade summoned.

"Terra!" he called out, wanting to ask his friend what the hell was going on.

Terra spared him a quick glance before ruffling his hair and saying, "Later Ven."

Ventus watched as Terra hit his armour on his shoulder and he was surrounded in light. He shielded his eyes, and when he opened them again, Terra was completely encased in his bronze-tinted armour. He tossed his Keyblade into the air and it came back as a Keyblade Rider.

"Wait!" Ventus called out, but it fell on deaf (or ignoring) ears. He shielded his eyes again, this time from the dust that went everywhere as Terra took off. He looked up, not really sure what to do.

"Ven!"

He looked around as Aqua rushed to his side. He turned back to looking at the sky and asked, "What's going on Aqua?"

"Trouble," she answered.

"Ventus," Eraqus said as he came forward. "You must stay here. Aqua, go. Remember what I told you before."

She looked around at Ventus before nodded at Eraqus. Ventus watched as she too was encased in armour and flew off into the sky.

"You'll get your chance Ventus," Eraqus said to him. "Just not yet."

He nodded his head slowly, but he had a feeling that his chance was coming a lot sooner than either of them really realized.

**VVVVVV**

From high up in one of the towers of the castle, Xehanort watched the proceedings with a frown on his face. He had placed the book in Ventus' room in hopes that the boy would make the connection to his younger brother. Xehanort had originally thought that the prophecy spoke of Ventus himself, but that turned out to be a false hope. He hadn't even known that the Princess of Twilight's Destiny was pregnant for a second time until he was already training Ventus.

Instead of putting all of his work behind him, he had tried to train Ventus for something else. Unfortunately that too had failed. Still, Xehanort was a man of endless schemes. His attempt to make a creature more powerful than those strange creatures called Heartless was proof of that. His Endless were certainly something that no one would expect, though there were very few of them.

Endless weren't the only things he could create though.

"I had hoped that he would run when he found the book," Xehanort said to a darkened figure that stood in the shadows behind him. "What do you think of him?"

"The loser needs someone to break him in," the darkened figure said.

"Not here you won't, I need to keep up appearances for a while longer," Master Xehanort growled.

He toyed with the helmet in his hand for a moment, staring at it with his vicious yellow eyes, before looking back up and saying, "All he needs is a bit more incentive to leave."

"Nothing drastic just yet, Vanitas."

Vanitas put his helmet back on, obscuring his face, and he said, "I'm fine with that." He then vanished into a portal of darkness.

**Author's Note**

THAT'S RIGHT CHAPTER! I WIN! I FINISHED YOU!

Seriously, you'd think having something so close to the actual game would be easy to write, but it's not. It's boring. Still, there are differences, such as I'm incorporating my own creation of Endless into them (as seen in Shadows of Reality), and Ventus himself is very different. The thing is, he has a little brother in this one that counts on him. So he tends to think a little more before he leaps. Not much, but a bit. It's also going to take more than his taunting about Terra to get him to run away instead of like he does in Birth By Sleep.

Actually, I find that through a lot of it Ven seems younger than he really is. He's supposed to be about 15 but he acts like he's younger at times. Of course, that could be explained by the fact that his heart is connected to a 4-year-old's.

To be honest, with this chapter, I had 3 pages for the longest time and struggled for 4. Now I have freaking over triple that! In your face writer's block!

Hmm… a little boy with light outweighing darkness in his heart? Hmm…I wonder who that could be. Yes, like in the original, Sora has a bigger role in my fic that he did in BBS.

**BTW there he spoilers ahead!**

SO! Who heard the news about Kingdom Hearts 3D? Not only does it have a real name, it has a website, a short trailer, and we have a new world!

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance. I know, sounds a little dopey and weird, but whatever, who cares. It's basically been described as the prologue to the final fight of the Xehanort saga (aka, Kingdom Hearts III). New world that's definitely gonna be there is one from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Looks like it's the last side story before KHIII.

Update: Okay, that's a lie. I watched the secret ending of BBS Final Mix, and it looks like there's a Birth By Sleep: Part 2. I could be wrong though, but that's what the secret ending implied. No clue when it's taking place though, because it shows clips of things that happened with Aqua, during KH1, Days, KHII, but nothing from Sora's point of view. It's all from the point of view of others. It's clips we haven't seen before. It looks like it might focus on Aqua, and to be honest, if you look at the clips (if you can find it, cause Square took down the one I saw), it looks like quite a bit of it is more from Kairi and Riku's point of view.

That's all just my speculation though. I could be totally wrong. Because as much as majority of the fandom hates Kairi, she does still have a Keyblade and she needs to learn how to use it, so at least mentioning her learning how to use it in a side-story would be helpful, even if it's only just a mention.

I've discussed theories with people already, and the most convincing one comes from Shire Folk who said that, from those clips, it looks like it could possibly be a game with four parts instead of three like BBS was. while KH1 was happening, leading her to Ansem in the secret BBS ending. throughout KH1, CoM, Days and KH2 (though, I think it's probably going to be one specific time with flashbacks). from the beginning of KH1 until CoM, and AFTER KH2, probably after Sora and Riku leave Destiny Islands.

I dunno. All I know is that these games need to come out now, promptly followed by number three.

Anyway, long rants aside, sorry it took so long to update. It's been a busy week. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys are awesome! More awesome than the butterscotch brownies we had earlier today. So thank you to: Tainalf, Shifuni, AKAAkira, Twilight Cardmistress, Joahikim, Chairman LoneStar, shadowwolf547, Shire Folk and Ralor.

And, and one more thing, I thought of the whole paopu fruit as an aphrodisiac a while ago, but then someone else put a similar idea out there, so I just kind of left it out. I figured it'd be good for laughs. And implications in the future.

Also I could totally see Sora being all 'but why Venny?' with his teary eyes and Ven being all 'goddamnit' and their mother just smirking like some sort of evil genius. Clearly, Ven's only a young teenager and he knows about it, so she had to make the whole idea an uncomfortable one to him. What could be worse than telling your younger brother why he couldn't have the pretty fruit? Also, spoiler, Sora's going to ask him about where babies come from. I have it written out and everything.

Crap, long author's note. At least I had a longer chapter to go with it?

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	7. Sinister Shadows

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Six – Sinister Shadows_

Ventus sat in his room staring out of his window at the night sky. He wondered where Terra was, and if he was okay. Sure, his friend had only vanished a few hours ago, but he couldn't help but be worried. Part of him wanted to run after him, but he knew that it was reckless. He knew running after Terra could cause more harm than anything else, and he certainly didn't want to bring harm to anyone else.

He could hear some footsteps in the hallway and let out a sigh. He rolled off of his bed and slowly walked towards the door with the full intent to tell whom he assumed was Aqua that he was fine and that he wasn't going to do something dumb like run after Terra. When he opened the door though, there was no one there.

Ventus peered down the hallway curiously. The footsteps had stopped outside of his door. Unless Aqua was working on her magic again. She sometimes teleported around for no apparent reason, but said it was for practice. Then it occurred to him that Aqua wasn't even home either. She left not long after Terra did.

He felt something cold shoot up his spine, and instantly he was on alert. His heart constricted almost painfully. Whatever had been in front of his room hadn't been pleasant. He glanced nervously around before slowly closing the door and turning to go back to his bed, like hiding under the sheets would get rid of the uncomfortable feeling that settled in him. He took a single step forward before coming to a complete halt.

There was someone leaning on his dresser.

The person wasn't particularly tall, only around his height, though he did look a fair bit stronger and more built, but the odd thing was (aside from the fact that this unknown person had just appeared out of nowhere) his clothes. It was like he was wearing an entire bodysuit made out of some sort of muscle or solid body tissue that was pure black, except for a few spots that were red and almost navy. Added on to that was the fact that he wore a simple, round black helmet, totally covering his face.

Ventus' eyes narrowed and he tensed up a bit, ready to summon his Keyblade at any given chance. There was something very familiar about this person, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Just staring at him gave Ventus the chills.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" Ventus demanded.

The masked boy seemed rather uninterested by his questions and said, "You keep toys in your room? How pathetic."

Ventus felt his defenses rise automatically. He was referring to the fact that there were a few of Sora's toys strewn about, though no one knew that. Terra and Aqua just assumed that they were childhood things of his that he felt the need to keep. Terra actually made fun of him for it before, but this was completely different.

"What do you want?"

The masked figure turned to face him, and Ventus had the feeling that he was almost bored. He couldn't really tell though, because he couldn't see his face.

Ventus watched as he suddenly moved, his own hand flexing slightly, ready to summon his Keyblade at any moment should he have to. The boy made his way over to Ventus' bed, and when he face him again, the black, faded book was in his hand.

"Interesting, isn't it?" the masked boy asked. "A child born with the power to use a Keyblade? I've never heard of that before. There's always a Master there to mark them, even if they don't know it. It's happened before. Marked and then the Master dies before he can train the apprentice. It's easy to see how one little prophecy could get mixed up, couldn't it?"

Ventus said nothing, his eyes blazing angrily. He was not about to say something stupid; he was not about to let anything about his brother slip.

"You know, they thought it was you at first. That you were the child in the prophecy. It's easy to see that you're definitely not though. You're too weak, too pathetic." There was a pause, but Ventus still wasn't taking the bait, which actually did annoy the masked boy slightly. "Your brother on the other hand…"

"Are you done rambling? I don't have a brother."

The masked boy laughed hysterically. His laughter made Ventus want to cringe away. It was a maddening sound, the sound of a person that had lost all of his grips on sanity and just wanted to watch the world burn away.

"You can't hide anything from me, Ventus" the dark figure said once he stopped his insane bought of laughter. "You had two brothers. Now you only have one. Sora, if I'm right."

The blond boy felt the blood drain away from his face before he snarled, "Leave my brother alone!"

"Oh, I'm not the one you should be worried about. I'm just supposed to find the little brat. Though, I'm not the only one you have to worry about. I'd try a little closer to home for that. There are a lot of people out there who would die to get their hands on such a powerful child. Is that why you never told your Master about who you are? He knows where your from, but not that you were important there."

Cerulean blue eyes becoming positively vicious, Ventus' Keyblade appeared in hand and he snarled, "What do you want?"

"You've always lived a very cozy life, haven't you? First in a castle where you listened to mommy and daddy and never left, and now here. You couldn't survive on your own if you tried. You can't even take care of yourself, and you want to keep your brother safe? Right. You probably can't even help your friends."

"My friends?" Ventus demanded. "What about Terra and Aqua?"

The masked boy shrugged and said, "You'll find out eventually when Terra stops being Terra and your brother vanishes from right under your nose. All while you're safe and sound here. What a pathetic loser."

Ventus lunged forward, but before his Keyblade could hit the intruder, he vanished into a swirling portal of darkness. Ventus skidded to a stop and stood still for a moment, letting his Keyblade vanish.

He saw Terra leaving earlier, rushing off to god-knows-where. Ventus couldn't understand what the masked boy meant about Terra not being Terra anymore.

More importantly, he taunts about Sora kept going through his mind. He couldn't let anyone hurt him.

Whatever his purposes for being there were, Ventus had to admit that he was right. Something bad was going to happen to his friends and his brother, and he was willingly staying safe and sound in the castle. Just like he had when he was little.

He saw his little brother's big smile and happy blue eyes for a moment before he said, "I can't. I can't let anything happen to him."

His eyes shifted to the sky outside of the window, a determined look etching on his face. He slowly turned around, his mind going over what he had seen Terra and Aqua so earlier that day. He had never actually used the lanes in-between before. Whenever he went back home Master Eraqus took him through some sort of portal. That also meant that he had no clue where Destiny Islands was, but he was going to find it before anything could happen.

He took one quick glance at his room, suddenly feeling the urge to vomit. Though Ventus couldn't explain why for the life of him, it almost felt like it was the last time he'd ever see the inside of his room. He couldn't see why though, it wasn't like Eraqus would kick him out, even though he was going against his direct orders. Ventus knew that he'd be punished when everything was over, but he'd take that punishment willingly. Still, the he couldn't shake the small bit of dread that was rising in him.

Ventus closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and running down the hall as quickly as he possibly could. He knew that he would only have minutes until Master Eraqus figured out what he was doing, and he had to use his speed to his advantage. Like he could with Terra and Aqua, Ventus could easily outrun his Master, but he didn't want Eraqus to talk him into staying.

He needed to go.

Ventus ran faster than he ever had before. Not once did he bother trying to be quiet or sneaky, instead using his speed to his advantage. He threw open the main door, not caring that it crashed loudly against the outer wall, and rushed down the staircase, almost tripping over his feet.

He took a deep breath as he reached the center of the courtyard. He quickly hit the shoulder of his armour and for a moment he was surrounded by light before it faded. The armour was certainly odd, because while he knew it was incredibly strong, it still allowed him to move without much hindrance (though he'd still rather not wear it) and it didn't weigh much either. He just assumed that it all had to do with magic.

Ventus summoned Wayward Wind to his hand before tossing it up into the air. A second later his Keyblade Glider appeared, and he jumped onto it. By that point of time, Master Eraqus had appeared, running towards him.

"Ventus!" he cried out, but the blond boy ignored him.

Without looking back, Ventus sped quickly towards the sky, leaving behind only a thought and nothing more.

'_I'm sorry Master, but I have to do this.' _

Ventus didn't know it, nor did Eraqus, but a dark figure watched the entire scene with nothing short of amusement. He chuckled cruelly, looking down at the dark helmet within his hands, staring at the reflection of his vicious yellow eyes.

"Well done Vanitas," Master Xehanort said as he appeared behind him. "I had hoped you wouldn't cause too much of a fuss."

"The only one who knew I was here was that loser," Vanitas said while nodding towards the sky. "I'm going to have fun with this."

"Don't get carried away. We need him. You need to make him stronger."

"Yeah, I got it." With that, Vanitas vanished into a portal of darkness. He had a mission now, and maybe, just maybe, he'd go along with his Master's plans, if it suited his purposes.

**VVVVVVV**

The pathways between the worlds was fascinating, Ventus had to admit that. He could see thousands and thousands of stars and some things that he wouldn't normally see from his world such as clouds of colourful particles and gases creating nebulas and different things like that.

He shook his head. He couldn't get distracted; he had a job to do. He knew that, while he desperately wished that the first world he stumbled upon would be his home, the odds were very unlikely. Destiny Islands, he knew, was considered a small and backwater world. For the most part, he saw that as a very good thing, but now, when he wanted to find it as fast as possible, it was nothing but an annoyance.

Ventus' thoughts wandered a bit. He knew that he'd have to stop in other worlds too from time to time, depending on how long it took him for find his island home. He would not only need a break from standing in a single spot for so long, but he would also need such essentials as food, water, and a bathroom.

"Running blind are we?"

His head shot around and he was face to face with the masked boy, who seemed to be floating leisurely beside him, yet he kept up with his speed easily. Needless to say, Ventus was so startled that he almost fell off of his Keyblade Glider.

"I'm bored. How about we play a game? You try to get there before I do. The catch? There are some interesting things going on in the worlds that I just know you won't be able to leave alone. Lets start with…this one."

Ventus let out a surprised yell as his Keyblade Glider suddenly jerked. He looked back but the masked boy was gone, and he was spiraling downwards.

Looking up (or was it down?) Ventus saw a world drawing closer to him. He couldn't really tell all that much about it, but he knew that it wasn't a tropical island.

He managed to get control of his Keyblade Glider, but that was just in time to avoid impacting any of the mountains and hills of the world. Letting out a groan, Ventus descended towards the ground. Once he was on actual land again, his armour vanished and he fell to his knees with a groan. His head was spinning wildly. He really hated that masked boy.

The sound of talking caught his attention and he slowly looked up, taking in his surroundings. He was surrounded by mountains of smooth, almost orange-tinted rocks and sand. Everything looked the same, and it was definitely a rather boring place.

Curious as to who would live in such a place, Ventus moved to his feet and cautiously moved towards the edge of the short cliff in front of him. Looking down, he blinked with surprise as he saw seven small men walking towards a cave.

For a moment, Ventus thought about just putting on his armour and going to find his home like he had originally planned, but he hesitated. They could have simply been said to distract him, but Ventus couldn't get the masked boys words out of his mind. Something bad was happening in the worlds. As much as he wanted to find his little brother to protect him, he couldn't very well just leave a world in possible danger. It was his duty as a Keyblade Bearer to keep the worlds safe. Besides, he doubted that the masked boy would be any quicker in finding Destiny Islands than him.

Of course, he couldn't fly around in space at the same speed as a magical hover-board while his posture seemed relaxed, almost bored. Then again, he was sure that Master Eraqus couldn't do that either.

He looked up at the sky as he made his decision and whispered, "I just need some time Sora. I promise, I'll be there soon." Without another thought, he quickly jumped down from the hill he was on and rushed towards the cave. Maybe those little men knew of anything odd that was happening. Who knew, maybe they had even seen Terra or Aqua. He still wanted to know what that boy meant by Terra not being Terra anymore.

Ventus had a sinking feeling that he was going to find out sooner rather than later, and that he wasn't going to like the answer when he got it.

**Author's Note**

Sorry for the long wait. Not only is my computer being a douche lately, but I've been struggling a bit with this story. It's so much harder when there's no fluff to fall back on. I rely on that crap! That's why this chapter is so short. I just basically needed Ventus to GFTO of Land of Departure.

Though I did mention Snow White's world here, keep in mind that there won't really be any sort of focus on the Disney Worlds in this fic. There a mentions of them, but no adventures in them. The only actually important Disney character is Mickey, and I suppose Yen Sid.

You know, out of the characters Master Xehanort and Vanitas, I'd have to say that it was Vanitas I found the most…I dunno…sinister and disturbing. See, Xehanort was an evil, manipulative mastermind who wants nothing more than to start a war, but Vanitas is made up of pure darkness and everything that is evil and wrong from Ventus. I don't even see how fanfic writers can try to write him as good or normal or only with 'a few issues'.

Then again, people like the Organization more than Sora and the good guys, and Nomura himself said that there was no good purposes behind what any of them were doing. They were bad guys through and though.

Still, Vanitas…while playing the game I always thought that he was the worst enemy because he fought (in the end) only for himself and his own gain. I don't think that he ever intended on giving the X-Blade to Xehanort to be honest.

I know it's over used, the Batman quote 'some men just want to watch the world burn', but I feel like it really applies to Vanitas. He showed in the game that he was only loyal to Xehanort up to where it benefited him. Like when he was going to destroy Ven even though Xehanort said not to.

So obviously I'm going to be capitalizing on this. Nobody is going to like my Vanitas at the end. Well, I will, because I enjoy evil characters (ex: I find Voldemort/Tom Riddle one of the most fascinating characters in Harry Potter), but none of you will in the end. Trust me on that.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Twilight Cardmistress, Joahikim, Trainalf, KaUiA, Shifuni, shadowwolf547 and Chairman LoneStar…you guys are awesome!

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	8. Unforgettable

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Seven – Unforgettable_

There were times, though they were rare, that Aqua wished she had never even heard of a Keyblade. When those times hit her, she would usually try to think about where she'd be now and what she'd be doing. It was odd to think about what her life could have been if she had never met Master Eraqus.

She had lived in Violet Town, a small town away from the main city of Radiant Garden, but she hadn't seen that world in years. She remembered the village being surrounded by large mountains with a waterfall, a lake and hundreds of brightly coloured flowers. It was a quiet place, a rest stop for weary travelers moving from one part of the large world to the next.

Her father was a scholar who was constantly working on different things that he preferred not to share with her, and her mother had been a doctor and a magical healer. Her home was a small, quiet one at the edge of the town, and it was there that she first met Master Eraqus. She could still remember that day clearly.

**VVVVVVVV**

Twelve-year-old Aqua was sitting beside the window, listening to the rain pouring while reading her book on healing magic. Her father was up in his office, and her mother was in the kitchen cooking supper while entertaining her younger brother.

Aqua loved listening to the rain; it calmed her even in the worst of times. Suddenly though, she felt a tug in her heart and looked up with confusion. She looked around the room, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, before her eyes shifted to outside the window. She gasped at what she saw.

There was a man stumbling into the town, holding his side tightly, and she could clearly see a red stain on his clothes. She launched herself up, dropping her book to the floor as she called out, "Mom!"

Her mother rushed out after her, but she was already outside, ignoring the rain as it stuck her pale blue hair to her face, hurrying over to the man.

"Are you okay?" she asked with worry as she reached him. "Where are you injured?"

The man looked up at her, his brown eyes calculating for a moment before he chuckled about something, slumping to his knees. Aqua's mother and father were suddenly out beside her.

"Go inside and get some towels," her mother instructed quickly.

She was an obedient child, always ready to do anything her parents told her to. She hurried inside, brushing passed her younger brother without much care.

"What's going on Aqua?" he called after her.

"Stay in the kitchen," she snapped, grabbing some towels and going back towards the door. By this time, her parents had helped the man to his feet and had helped him into the house.

His wounds weren't terribly deep, but they were slightly infected. Her mother had been able to heal the wounds without a problem, but she insisted that he stay for the night so that she could make sure the healing magic worked right.

"Eraqus," Aqua was startled to hear her father say. "I take it that this is not just a coincidence that we're meeting again."

The man smiled slightly and said, "No. I thought it was time for me to return to offer what we spoke about all those years ago."

"Are you sure?" the mother asked, a her voice rising a bit. "I mean, you're positive?"

Aqua glanced over at her younger brother, seeing the same confusion that she felt in his turquoise eyes. She then looked back at her parents and noticed that their mother seemed a little bit upset.

"Aqua, Isa, go upstairs," the father said, and Aqua was quick to oblige, but Isa hesitated, prompting their father to repeat his demand.

Even as a child, most people found Aqua almost cold and calculating. She was smart, and enjoyed learning to almost a fault, but she rarely spent time with any of the other children in Violet Town. To them, she was the weird girl who was mean and ignored even her own brother. To be fair, that part about her ignoring her brother (for the most part) was true. Aqua only interacted with him when she had to. It wasn't that she didn't care, it was just that she was so focused on herself that she could sometimes forget about how her actions influenced those around her.

The next morning, Aqua found out why her mother had seemed to upset. They told her that Master Eraqus had been there before when she was very young. She didn't remember that though.

Apparently, Eraqus was a very powerful person with a very rare talent, and he wanted Aqua to be his apprentice because she had the same talent. He had marked her years ago, releasing the ability within her, but now he needed to train her. Leaving the ability without training could be risky.

"I don't know," Aqua said. "How do I know it's true?"

Eraqus smiled slightly and said, "Hold out your hand, and concentrate. Focus your energy, your power, and all of your positive feelings to your hand." She tried, but nothing happened. "It's hard the first time, but you'll be able to summon it without much thought after that. Try thinking about something that calms or soothes you."

She thought about the rain falling and tried again. This time, there was a flash of light, and an elegant, blue and silver weapon appeared in her hand. She stared at it in awe, noticing that it looked almost like a key. "Rainfell," she whispered, not quite sure how she knew the name of the weapon, but very sure that it was right.

Eraqus smiled and said, "That is a Keyblade. It's a powerful weapon, and there are very few who can use them in all of the worlds. I can teach you how to use it properly, including all of the rules and responsibilities that come with it."

"Yes," she answered without much thought. Then she turned to her parents and said, "Please? I want to know." She had always wanted to be something more than just a regular person from a little town in Radiant Garden.

Her mother had cried, but her father seemed immensely proud. Eventually, they agreed to let her go.

As she left though, she realized that she hadn't said goodbye to her brother. He didn't even know that she was leaving or why. There was nothing that could be done about that though. It wasn't like it'd affect him later on.

She couldn't have known that it was the last time she'd see any of her family again.

**VVVVVVVV**

Aqua remembered Master Eraqus telling her that there had been an accident. Her mother and father hadn't survived, and they hadn't found her brother's body anywhere. After months of searching they finally accepted that he was dead as well. She had shed a few tears, but she kept on with her training to distract herself.

She took a deep breath, shaking the thoughts out of her mind. She needed to stay focused. There was no telling what would happen if they didn't stop the creatures wreaking chaos across the worlds.

Still, that didn't stop her mind from going back to the first time she had met Terra. Just like with her, Eraqus had marked him as a Keyblade Bearer when he was only young. Terra had come from a backwater world that Aqua didn't actually remember the name of.

What she did remember was going there with Master Eraqus, only a few months after she had started her training. Terra had already been training before he even received his Keyblade. Unlike her, he had remembered Eraqus' first visit and had anticipated his return for years.

Though he had lived in a very busy city, Aqua remembered thinking that Terra was a bit weird at first, but he was also so much like her.

In retrospect, she had realized that she was seen as a cold person who felt that she was above everyone else, but she hadn't really realized that she had portrayed herself that way. Likewise, she had found Terra rather cold and distant when they first met, but unlike her, he did it knowing and willingly.

Terra was strong, powerful and determined. She remembered watching him in awe and being a bit shy and embarrassed when the Master introduced her. She had been in complete awe with him, but it was really no surprise.

Terra had been a little cold to her at first, even though they were told to work together and help each other. She only found out why when he yelled at her for getting in the way of his training and slowing him down.

The next time they had sparred in front of Master Eraqus, she had beat him using her superior magic with a vengeance. Though Terra had always been stronger than her, he hadn't been able to even get near her to land a single hit.

They had both learned a lesson that day. Terra learned to accept her and to work together to learn and to teach. Aqua learned that he wasn't that scary or intimidating.

It was only after they had become friends that Terra had told Aqua about his past. She didn't know all that much about it, he had only told her in passing, but from what she knew, he had come from an abusive home with a father who beat him and all of his elder siblings, and a crack-addict for a mother. He had mentioned that his father killed his older sister, and then he and his other older brothers and sisters had been put into a foster care system. They all ended up in different places and he hadn't seen them since. The only thing he knew was that they had ended up in good places. He had never looked back on the past. Not once. At the same time, while he was driven to always doing better in the future, he never really seemed to give it another thought outside of that. He only thought of the there and now.

Maybe that was why Master Eraqus told her to keep an eye out for Terra. He was very determined and focused on his own goals. Sometimes he didn't notice when he hurt others. That wasn't saying he was a bad person, he was actually far from that. Once someone got to know him they could see that he wasn't nearly as cold and tough as he seemed to be, and he was much more willing to help others now without wanting anything in return (something she credited more to Ventus than anyone else). He just had a habit of being blinded to what else was going on around him.

Aqua sighed underneath her blue-tinted armour and shifted a bit. It was easy to get stiff when sitting in one position for so long. Out of the corner of her eye she suddenly saw some movement and looked around, confusion passing over her concealed face.

She watched as she passed through some pink and purple dust and clouds, and gaped in surprise at what she saw. There was another person in armour with a Keyblade Glider. She frowned, eyeing the figure critically. It definitely wasn't Terra. Not only was the armour wrong, but he was also a good deal shorter and skinner. She stared at the green tinted armour before it suddenly hit her.

"Ven!" she cried out, though Aqua was under no illusions that he could hear her. She tried to swerve towards him, but by the time she got through the stationary dust and clouds to where she had seen him, he was gone. She stopped, floating out in the middle of space few a few moments to think.

Master Eraqus hadn't shown Ventus how to change his Keyblade into a Keyblade Glider, nor had he shown him how to summon his armour. He had even forbidden them from showing the younger boy how, at least for now. She remembered that he had watched Terra do it, and Ventus was far from stupid. He had probably put two and two together and figured it out on his own.

Still, that didn't even come close to trying to explain what he was doing out there. He could have been looking for Terra or herself, that much was true, but something told her that it wasn't the entire truth.

She stared in the direction that she had been going and then glanced back the way she had come. For a moment, she hovered in space silently, before making a choice. Quickly, she turned around and started heading back towards her home. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be Master Eraqus.

Aqua had the sickening feeling that something horrible was about to happen, and that there was no way she could stop it.

**VVVVVVVV**

Though Aqua certainly loved the world she considered home, she could understand how Terra could find it constraining. So much of the world was inhabitable, steep cliffs and darkened valleys. They were rarely ever aloud to go beyond the mountains where their castle was. In fact, the only time that they had left their home, while still being on the world, was for survival training.

Now, as she approached the world, Aqua couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. The last time she had seen her home, only several hours before, it had felt more welcoming. A shiver went up and down her spine, but she had no idea why.

She landed on the ground and her armour vanished almost instantly. She found herself hesitating and slowly making her way up towards her home. The trek up the stairs seemed twice as long and exhausting than it normally was. When she finally made it to the main room, she found Eraqus slumped down on his throne, looking rather glum. Aqua kept her face schooled, but she could honestly say that she was surprised to see her Master in such a state. Even when something bad had happened, he always managed to stay composed and strong. Now though, just sitting there, he looked so old and fragile, though he was nowhere near being old and fragile.

"Master?" she called out softly, but even her soft voice seemed to startle him.

Eraqus slowly looked up at her and blinked as if making sure that she was really real. He stood up and approached her calmly, an air of dignity suddenly reappearing around him.

"Aqua, what is the meaning of this? You are to track down those creatures and keep an eye on Terra," he scolded her, a little more harshly than she thought that she deserved.

"I was at one world and I was on my way to the next when I saw Ven. I lost track of him though. I thought you asked him to stay here, and I just had a feeling that something was wrong, so I came back to get some answers."

"You saw Ventus? Where was he heading?" Eraqus asked her quickly.

"I'm not sure. I—you didn't send him?" she had been hoping that Ventus had left their home on their Master's orders, but she felt her heart dropping as she gazed at Eraqus. It was hard to read his expressions, but she could see a flicker of something on him, though she couldn't tell what it was.

"No," Eraqus answered as he turned around and looked back at the large, stain-glass window. "I don't know what possessed him to run, but he left in the middle of the night. He was gone before I could stop him."

"Ventus is strong," Aqua said. "He may be younger than Terra and I, but he's been training almost as long as we have. I think that—"

"No, Aqua," Eraqus snapped. "Ventus was not ready for the Mark of Mastery Examination, and he is not ready to be off traveling between worlds on his own. It's simply too dangerous."

There was a tense silence as old, brown eyes looked back into surprised winter blue eyes. Aqua stared at him for a moment before asking, "What would you like me to do?"

Terra would have fought back. He would have defended his friend more, and he wouldn't have accept such harsh, undeserving words, but Aqua knew how to keep her face and actions schooled. Though she disagreed with Eraqus, she would never say it to his face. She would just go along with his plans. After all, he was the Master and he had never led them astray before.

"Continue your mission as planned," Eraqus said after a moment of thought. "However, if you should come across Ventus, bring him home at once." He didn't offer any sort of explanation, instead quickly vacating the room, leaving Aqua alone.

She stood there for a moment, straight like an iron post, before swiftly turning on her heel and marching out of the door. Instead of heading off world again though, she traveled up to the summit that she, Terra and Ventus spent much of their time.

Aqua summoned her Keyblade for a moment and stared at the blue metal. Then she let out a scream of frustration and struck the ground. Over and over again, her blade rushed to meet the ground and by the end, she stumbled to the ground, panting with exhaustion and frustration.

"I'm a Master now," she muttered to herself. "I'm a Master who isn't trusted with anything. The Master wishes that it was Terra, not me. I know he does. Ven, something dark is coming, and I have a feeling that it has to do with you." She clasped her Wayfinder in her hand tightly. "I'll find you Ven, I promise, and I'll find some answers too. Something isn't right here, and I think the Master knows what it is."

With that, she pushed herself off of the ground. She summoned her armour around her and tossed her Keyblade into the air. Her Keyblade Glider came towards her before she took off towards the sky. Aqua needed answers, and she had a feeling that she needed them sooner rather than later.

**VVVVVVVV**

Earlier that day, before Aqua had appeared before him, Master Eraqus had been silently standing in the audience chamber, staring up at the large stain-glass window in thought. The darkness was on the rise; he could feel it in his veins. Though he did not have the magical strength, nor the wisdom, to simply look at the stars and to hear the other worlds like Master Yen Sid did, could still feel that something was desperately wrong.

When Ventus ran away only a few hours before, the second he had vanished from the world, he had felt something very dark, something that had been masked by Ventus' very presence. This was unsettling, but at the same time, it came as no surprise to him. Ventus was certainly an interesting person. He didn't have a drop of darkness within him, yet he was still able to completely function like a normal person. He had never heard of a Prince of Heart, knowing that only females were chosen to be pure hearted. Why, Eraqus could not answer, it was just what history had shown.

History also showed that, when chaos and crisis overpowered the worlds, they tended to fight back. Hidden within the massive libraries within the castle that he ruled over, was information about every single known Princess of Heart. What was particularly odd about them was that some of the people who would later go on to gain the title did not have pure hearts until the darkness had overwhelmed their worlds. Then, as if the very world itself was fighting back, a maiden, usually the Princess of the world, was chosen. Her darkness was stripped away from her and was replaced with a powerful light that not only let her live on normally, but she also gained a few other powers as well. Of course, the world's attempt at survivals was for naught if the maiden was removed from her home, but it was still amazing to see.

Still, in all of that history, never once had Eraqus heard about a young man being chosen. He hadn't the slightest clue why it was always a female, or why some were born like that and others changed later on, all he knew was that was how it had always been.

So Ventus, in general, was an enigma to him. A boy who didn't appear to be marked by a master, but already knew how to use the Keyblade a bit when Eraqus first met him in a world that was being torn apart by the darkness. Eraqus had tried to protect him the best he could, knowing that the darkness would be instinctively attracted to the light within Ventus, but at the same time, he knew that he had been keeping the boy on a short leash.

Ventus was powerful certainly, and his potential to become stronger was amazing, but Eraqus was almost frightened of the young man in a way. There were just too many unanswered questions about the boy that he refused to answer. Just like Eraqus knew that there was something wrong in the worlds, he also knew that there was something dangerous about Ventus, he just couldn't put his finger on what.

The sound of footsteps behind him startled the Master, and he turned to see his older colleague walking towards him. This surprised him a bit, because he had assumed that Master Xehanort had left not long after the final decisions for the Mark of Mastery exam.

"Xehanort?" he asked, watching the man walk passed him. Something felt off about him, and Eraqus wasn't about to drop his guard.

"Do you remember the ancient stories of the past?"

This startled Eraqus, who answered, "I remember many stories that our Master taught us. Is there a specific one you have in mind?"

"The χ-Blade."

"A weapon of mass power. Said to be an equal to the power of Kingdom Hearts, which all other Keyblades are subject to. It's origins are unknown, it's power is unknown, and it's true purpose is unknown. Said to neither exist in the light, nor the darkness. All Masters are told the story Xehanort, you know this as well as I."

"The textbook answer, just what I expected from you. We do know of its powers though. A weapon of ruin, the beginning of the Keyblade Wars."

"Legend, not truth," Eraqus said. "There is no known person to have been able to summon the χ-Blade."

"Then where do the stories come from?" Xehanort challenged with amusement. "There is more truth to be found than we can know from the old stories. Sometimes, all it takes is looking in the right place."

"The χ-Blade is dangerous," Eraqus insisted. "It doesn't matter if the legends are completely true or not. Something that powerful cannot be allowed to exist."

"Ahh, but something that powerful already does. Floating above the shards of a now dead world, appearing only when summoned."

"Kingdon Hearts?" the master sighed and shook his head. "You know as well as I that the power of Kingdom Hearts is unobtainable. To mold it to ones will is impossible. It's said that even the ruler of Twilight's Destiny cannot truly control the power. Just a small taste of it."

"Unless, of course, that person also commands the χ-Blade. The only thing out there to equal and possibly surpass the power of Kingdom Hearts."

This made Eraqus stop and stared at Xehanort. There was something about his tone of voice, some sort of finality, almost like he knew the exact answer to his own question instead of just talking theories.

"Would you turn the worlds to darkness?" Eraqus asked him finally. "That's all that can come from that. Kingdom Hearts is both light and dark. We see the light, the dark contained inside. To unlock its powers would cover the worlds in darkness."

"As it was long ago," Xehanort said. "We know so little about the Keyblade War. Darkness was unleashed, summoning all wielders, even untrained ones. At the end of the darkness, a precious light was found. Kingdom Hearts and the χ-Blade are the keys to finding this power, this light, once again."

Eraqus tensed. "You would destroy all of the worlds out of this curiosity? I could never allow that to happen. It won't happen as long as I'm alive."

"You act as if starting over is a bad thing. There is so much death, despair, and pain in the worlds now. Ruin doesn't bring about the end, ruin brings new life. A Keyblade War would fix all of our problems."

"I won't allow it!"

"There is nothing you can do," Xehanort said calmly. "All of the pieces have been set into motion. Pure darkness and pure light will clash, creating the χ-Blade, Ventus will see to that. He is not the key to everything though. No. That lies within something else. That lies within his younger brother."

Eraqus faltered at this before asking, "His brother? What do you know of his brother?"

"You said yourself, we cannot hope to control Kingdom Hearts. Possibly even with the χ-Blade. If one who had some control already was given the χ-Blade, he might be able to. A child born a Master of the Keyblade with the power of Kingdom Hearts at his command. I know about the boy. That is why you kept a close eye on that world as well. I had thought it was Ventus at first, but our dearly departed friend must have been the one to mark him before she fell, and before I found him."

"You found—you're apprentice, who is he?" Eraqus demanded.

"Ventus himself was my apprentice," Xehanort said, finally tuning to face Eraqus. "He was a failure though. My new apprentice is not. He is what was lost from Ventus." Xehanort was counting on Eraqus to understand his words. He was counting on the other man to put the pieces together. All he felt was triumph when he saw the look of realization pass through the man's face.

"I won't let you get away with any of this," Eraqus cried out and summoned his Keyblade. Then he charged at Xehanort.

The elder of the two summoned his own Keyblade and cast a quick, powerful spell that sent two dark fireballs at Eraqus, scarring his face.

Eraqus dropped his weapon and grabbed his face in pain. He looked up as Xehanort approached him, an eerie black and purple aura hovering around him.

"Has the darkness taken you Xehanort?" he demanded.

"No," he answered. "I have taken it." He then simply walked past Eraqus, vanishing from sight through a darkened portal.

This left Eraqus alone, knowing that there were two very important things that he needed to do. He needed to find Ventus, and he needed to find the boy's younger brother.

Luckily, Aqua later showed up and he sent her after Ventus. Now he just needed to find a way to locate Ventus' younger brother.

Sora. The key to destroying everything.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Yes, some of this was pretty much lifted from Birth by Sleep. I didn't mean to do this as a form of plagiarism, I just didn't know what the hell else to write. This chapter stumped me. It was important though because Eraqus realizes 'oh crap, I know what's wrong with Ven' (because he already knew in the game…to a point), and he had to send Aqua after Ventus.

I didn't actually go in-depth with Terra's story because Aqua doesn't really know it and this chapter is mostly from her POV. I realize that in the game, Terra, Aqua and Ven are most likely only children, but in this I wanted to make it a little different.

Isa was an obvious choice for her younger brother because they both have blue hair and I made her from Radiant Garden. Because she feels like she let her brother down and believes he's dead, she tends to be a bit more protective over Ven, who is about the same age as Isa. And for his part, Isa believed that his sister never cared about him and abandoned their family, so that made him a bit bitter later on. That and everyone thinks he's dead but he's not. What happened? I have no idea. It's not important. Either way he ended up with Lea.

As for Terra, I find that he's always trying to prove himself, to be stronger, so I could easily see him having several older siblings that he'd always have to compete with. Him coming from an abusive home can also be a reason for why he tries so hard to be strong.

None of them are the focus of this story though, so most of the chapters will be focused on Ven. I just thought that it'd be fun to take a glimpse into Terra and Aqua's lives. That and Aqua is probably one of my favourite characters after Sora.

Thank you to all my loyal readers and reviewers. You guys have no idea how much I appreciate the feedback. I know there's always some errors grammar-wise, and typos that I miss, but I try to put a little more effort into my writing to give you guys something semi-good to read.

So thank you to Chairman LoneStar, Shire Folk, herald of disaster, AKAAkira, Shifuni, Joahikim, Ocracle's Song, Jad826 and shadowwolf547! You guys rock.

I'll try to update a little faster this time, because I got to a point in the story where I'm just flying through the chapters. These first ones were actually fairly hard to write because they're so different from the original.

BTW, I posted a pic of Riku with armour on Deviant Art. The link's on my profile. Though admittedly he does still look quite a bit like he did in KH2 and he doesn't have the crossing straps like everyone else. Oh well. I also decided that it'd be a good idea to create renders of the Keyblades from Days since I couldn't find good ones. Those will be up soon. And I mean all of them cause I'm that awesome!

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	9. Working Together

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Eight – Working Together_

The stars were becoming boring to Ventus. Each one looked the same, each just another world with problems that went beyond him. He tried to help a few, the few that seemed to call out to him, and he was glad that he did. He would never regret befriending the Seven Dwarfs (though it took them a while to warm up to him), Snow White, the three good fairies, Jacques, and Cinderella, but at the same time, the friendships that he was creating also frustrated him.

It was like he was choosing everyone else over his little brother that he wanted so desperately to find. Looking back, he probably should have tried to get Master Eraqus to take him home, claiming that he needed to see his family for some reason, but the rate the Unversed were showing up was a little unsettling. He doubted that Eraqus would have let him leave.

There were so many unanswered questions in his mind, so many things that didn't make sense. The creatures showing up in the worlds, the darkness that he sensed behind them, the boy in the mask, Terra. They were all pointing to one big thing, but for the life of him, he couldn't see what. It was like someone had blindfolded him and sent him down a hall, not letting him know if he was about to walk into anything or not.

"What are you doing Terra?" he muttered to himself. He didn't want to believe that his friend had done the horrible things that he had heard. He couldn't believe it.

Still, the way that witch (evil fairy, whatever) spoke, it was almost like she was convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that her words were true. Though Ventus has sensed that she was definitely not someone he wanted to be around, he couldn't help but feel that there was some truth behind her words, even if only a little.

He couldn't get what she said to him out of his mind if he tried.

**VVVVV**

Ventus stared at the woman before him cautiously, his Keyblade appearing in a reverse grip in his hand. He could feel the darkness rolling off of her in waves, but to be honest, he expected some hideous old troll. Though certainly terrifying, this woman was not monstrous, old, or even all that ugly. She was definitely creepy though, with her horned headset and her green-tinted skin, she just wasn't what he was expecting.

"A Keyblade. You must be Ventus," she said, resting one hand on top of the other upon of the circular stone on her staff. Her eyes were cold and calculating, and there was a look of distaste on her face. He couldn't know that it was because of the sheer amount of light coming from him.

"How did you know that? Who are you?" Ventus demanded. For a moment, a spark of fear shot through him. She knew about him, what if she knew about Sora too? He had a feeling that she was the type of person who would sell out a child for not being invited to a party, let alone sell out one for power or valuable information.

"My name is Maleficent, and you would do well to remember it. My powers ensure that I know everything that I need," she chuckled darkly. "Of course, the Keyblade is a magnificent weapon. Terra gave me a demonstration of a small portion of the power it holds."

A surprised look crossed his features and he asked, "Terra? He was here?"

"Why of course," Maleficent said, sounding all to calm and eager to share. "In fact, without him, my plans that you intend to ruin would have never come to be. It was he who stole the heart of Princess Aurora

Ventus almost dropped his Keyblade from surprise at her words. Then his grip tightened on it and he snarled, "That's a lie!" He couldn't believe that Terra would do something like that; he wouldn't believe it.

"It was a request that you would be left unharmed," Maleficent said. "It seems that I might not have a choice."

"I'd like to see you try," Ventus growled, feeling his anger course through him, making him bold and brash. "I bet you can't even leave a scratch on me!"

She laughed loudly, and it made his skin crawl.

"We shall see." Then green flames exploded around her, and Ventus charged.

**VVVVV**

In retrospect, Ventus realized that just charging at her was a really reckless thing to do. At the same time though, he couldn't regret what he had done. If he hadn't acted so brashly, than maybe he wouldn't have been able to overpower her. If he could overpower her, he doubted that Maleficent would have given him all of the information that she had.

His fists clenched tightly and he willed his Keyblade Glider to go faster. He needed to find either his brother, or Terra, before it was too late. Either one would do at this point. He was on a wild goose chase, and he was seriously getting tired of it. He had to find one of them. Admittedly, Ventus would prefer to find Sora first so that he could protect his little brother. He didn't understand it, Sora was only four, he hadn't done anything wrong.

It seemed that something out there was gunning for his life though.

**VVVVV**

Ventus watched Maleficent clutch her chest as she limped away slowly and said, "There's no way Terra would hurt somebody like that!"

The witch chuckled darkly and said, "You truly do not believe my words? That is unfortunate. He was all to willing to help. In return, all he asked was for a way to find a child."

"What?" he asked slowly.

"A child with so little darkness? That cannot be hard to find. Someone like yourself could throw off that trail I suppose. So much wretched light in one spot. You certainly are unnatural."

"A child—no," Ventus muttered under his breath. "No. Terra wouldn't! He wouldn't hurt a little kid!"

Before Maleficent could reply, a familiar voice called out, "Don't listen to her Ven!"

Snapping around, Ventus felt relief pass through him for a moment as he saw Aqua rush over to him, her ice blue eyes shining with worry. She stopped in front of him and said, "Terra wouldn't do that. You know that just as much as I do."

Ventus studied her face for a moment before nodding his head and speaking in an upbeat tone. "You're right. He's our friend."

"Truth can be cruel, even amongst the closest of friends," Maleficent said, a grin that dripped with malice appearing on her face. "I am sure both of you would agree. You both have such disgustingly strong lights that stand out like an eclipse. Both of you Ventus, Aqua."

Aqua stared at Maleficent for a moment as if sizing her up. The witch smirked at them before vanishing in a flash of violent green flames.

There was a heavy silence before Aqua said, "Master Eraqus sent me."

"To bring me back home, right?" Ventus asked, knowing what the answer was already. He saw her surprised features and said, "He's hiding something too Aqua. I just know he is. I know it has to do with me, but I can't—I can't go back. And Terra…"

"He's not ready to go back home," Aqua replied. "Please Ven."

"I'm sorry Aqua. I can't go with you." For a moment, he would have sworn that he saw a look of hurt flash through her eyes.

"What are you trying to do Ven?" she finally asked. "What are you searching for?"

He shook his head and said, "I can't tell you. Not now. It's just…I have to find him before it's too late."

"Terra will be fine—"

"You don't know that," Ventus argued, deciding to go with her assumption that he was referring to Terra. He didn't know if Maleficent was still watching them or not. "You may be a Master, but you still don't know anything." He suddenly turned on his heel and started running.

"Ven!" he heard her cry out, but he knew that she wouldn't catch up. He was too fast, especially now that he knew his fears were justified. He needed to find his home, and fast.

**VVVVV**

Ventus was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and he focused on something in front of him. He would have sworn that he saw some sort of movement, but he couldn't be sure. He was watching and waiting, wondering if he was going to run into Aqua or Terra. If it was Terra, he was going to try to get him to stop, and if it was Aqua, he was going to do his best to avoid her for now.

Some of the dust cleared, and what Ventus saw made his heart start racing wildly with anxiety. It was that masked boy again.

He watched as the boy turned around and vanished. Ventus willing his Keyblade Glider to go after him as quickly as possible. Something about this didn't feel right at all.

Finally, Ventus reached the world that he assumed the masked boy had gone to. Once he landed, he couldn't help but look around curiously. There were cliffs surrounded by cracked, dry ground, but aside from that, all he could see was sand stretching out in the distance. Though he was sure that he had never seen this desert world before, something about it seemed eerily familiar to him.

"Home sweet home, right?'

Ventus whipped around quickly and saw the masked figure behind him. He felt his body tense up as he demanded, "What did you mean by Terra would stop being Terra? Who are you?"

"Vanitas," he said clearly. "What do you think I meant, idiot? The Terra you know will be gone forever. And your brother? Don't hold out much hope for him."

"I won't let you hurt him," Ventus growled angrily.

"Who said anything about hurting him? The brat's useful."

This surprised the blond a bit and he cautiously asked, "What do you mean?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Vanitas suddenly moved his hand, and in a flash of light, a dark Keyblade appeared in his grasp.

Ventus let out a surprised sound, "How do you have a Keyblade?" He summoned his own quickly.

Vanitas ignored the question, instead posing to fight him. "Come on loser, let's see what your made of." Before Ventus could even blink, Vanitas lunged at him.

"Shit!" he yelled out, holding up his Keyblade defensively. Vanitas' own Keyblade crashed into his, and he grunted under the force. He would have to use his speed, because Vanitas was certainly stronger than he was.

Ventus quickly moved out of the way, swinging his Keyblade around. He managed to land a hit, but it didn't seem to bother the darkened boy much at all. Instead, he lashed out with a series of quick, powerful attacks. Ventus was thrown backwards, his back colliding with the dry ground as he slid across it. He let out a groan of pain when he finally came to a stop, pushing himself up, ignoring the angrily bleeding cuts on his body.

"That's right," Vanitas said. "Come on, show me what you're made of."

He was testing him, Ventus suddenly realized. He was waiting for Ventus to attack, but the reality was that he probably could have killed him already, if he truly wanted to. That fact was a little unsettling for the blond, but he had no other choice. Vanitas was just as quick as he was, and with his physical strength added in, Ventus knew that if he didn't push himself, he would lose.

"You don't scared me," he said before dashing forward. Instead of trying to overcome him with a physical attack though, Ventus jumped into the air. "Fira!"

Vanitas grunted as a stream of fireballs hit his chest and he skidded backwards. He chuckled a bit and said, "Not bad. My turn. Dark Firaga!"

Ventus was surprised to see such a powerful attack coming at him, but he managed to dodge out of the way in time. Vanitas didn't spare him an extra second though. He blocked his Keyblade with his own and then pushed back. Forgetting all magical or technical moves, the two lashed out at each other, relying solely on their abilities as swordsmen.

Vanitas' movements were wild and unpredictable, Ventus realized, making him an even more dangerous opponent than he appeared to be at first. Ventus was good as noticing patterns and fighting back using that to his advantage, but in this case, he had no hope of doing that. Vanitas was too strong, too fast, and too unpredictable.

With a yell of pain, Ventus felt himself being thrown backwards again. He hit the ground, flipping over ungracefully. He felt his head crash into the ground, a splitting headache instantly passing through him as black spots appeared over his eyes. His back ached, and his neck felt stiff as he ended up on his back on the ground. He let out a groan and tried to push himself up. He heard Vanitas coming towards him and tried to move, but he couldn't move fast enough. Vanitas kicked him roughly, and he ended up rolling over the rough ground again, this time landing on his stomach.

He let out a groan of pain, unable to pull himself up.

"Pathetic. I'm supposed to keep you alive, but I don't think it's worth it. I should just put you out of your misery." He slowly walked towards the injured boy, who couldn't move a muscle without feeling agonizing pain.

Suddenly though, Ventus felt a rush of air and heard something land in front of him. He waited for an attack, but it never came.

"A Keyblade shouldn't be used to hurt people," a high-pitched voice said sternly. Ventus slowly managed to open his eyes and lifted his head only slightly. He saw a pair of rounded shoes in front of him, and a thin, black tail. That caught him by surprise.

"Curaga!" the voice cried out. Ventus felt most of his aches and pains leave him, and he was able to push himself to his feet.

He took in his savior and couldn't help but feel a little surprised. The creature was short with large, black, round ears. It took Ventus a moment to realize that he was an oversized mouse. It took him a few seconds longer to realize that this mouse had a Keyblade.

"Are you okay?" the mouse asked him.

"Yeah," Ventus said, summoning his Keyblade again.

"Good, lets knock him down a peg." Judging from the fact that he pulled off a high level spell without a problem, he knew that with the help of this creature, Ventus was sure that they could at least give Vanitas a run for his money.

Ventus and the mouse rushed at Vanias, who flipped out of the way before swiping at them with a powerful, dark attack. This sort of a simple fighting continued, and Ventus could feel himself wearing down. Still, with the mouse's help, he had managed to land some pretty good hits, and Vanitas too was slowing down.

"I have an idea," the mouse called out. "We'll use our powers at the same time!"

"Got it!" Ventus replied. Vanitas was speeding around them, making it impossible for either to hit him. They ended up back to back instead.

"Hold out your Keyblade," he instructed. "Then imagine a beam of light coming out of it and yell 'Light' when I do!"

Ventus did what he was told, holding out Wayward Wind in front of him. He envisioned a beam of light pouring from it and, at the same time as the mouse, called out, "LIGHT!" They ended up spinning around, back to back, with beams of light shooting out of their Keyblades.

Vanitas let out a muffled grunt of pain as he was thrown backwards. They stopped their joint attack and faced him as the dark boy pushed himself off the ground.

"Fine," Vanitas grumbled. "I'll spare you this time." Then he vanished.

Ventus dropped his Keyblade, allowing it to vanish in a cluster of sparks, as he slumped down to his knees and breathed in deeply. He heard soft footsteps approaching him and looked up at his savior.

"Gosh, are you okay?" the mouse asked curiously.

"Yeah, thanks to you," he replied with a smile. "My name's Ventus, but everyone calls me Ven."

"My name's Mickey," he held out his hand and shook Ventus'. "That boy, who was he?"

"His name's Vanitas," the blond explained. "I don't know who he is, or where he came from, but something's not right with him."

"I felt as much too. He doesn't seem to have any darkness in him, and that's not natural. Then again, neither is having all light, aside for a few special cases." Ventus had a feeling that Mickey was trying to tell him something in a very subtle way, but he wasn't quite catching it. "So, you must be one of Master Eraqus' apprentices."

"Yeah, along with Aqua and Terra. How do you have a Keyblade though?"

"Oh, I'm Master Yen Sid's apprentice."

"Really? I thought he didn't use a Keyblade anymore. Either way, I'm grateful. Thank you for saving me Mickey," Ventus said with a huge smile.

"It was no problem." Mickey reached into his pocket and held out a star shaped object. "This is a star shard, and I've been using it to travel to different worlds. Unfortunately, I can't control it. It takes me to different places at complete random. Though, I have a feeling now that it's taking me to places that I need to be."

"Well, I'm glad it brought you here when it did," Ventus laughed. "Why did Master Yen Sid send you out?"

"Er…" Mickey trailed off. "He didn't. Not exactly. I overhear him talking to Master Eraqus. The worlds are in danger, and Master Yen Sid spoke about how he feared for the life of a little boy. This child can balance the darkness and the light, but something wants to stop that from happening. I heard that, and I just couldn't let anything happen. I had to either help stop the darkness, or help protect this child."

Ventus looked down and said, "Yeah, I've heard things like that too. Say Mickey, do you have any idea where he is?"

"No but—" Suddenly, Mickey's star shard started glowing vibrantly. Ventus let out a yell of surprise and was caught in the light as it suddenly leapt from the desert world, but he ended up in the middle of the lanes in-between. He looked around, seeing Mickey nowhere in sight, and let out a sigh.

He summoned his Keyblade Glider and started searching for Destiny Islands again. He hoped that Mickey would be okay. Ventus felt like he was true and honest when he said that he only wanted to help that small boy, so he knew that was one person he didn't have to worry about.

What was unsettling was that Master Eraqus knew about Sora, even if he didn't know it was actually him. He might put two and two together though and realize why Ventus ran off. As much as he trusted his Master, his gut instinct said that if anyone had to find his brother, it was him.

That was all that mattered now.

**Author's Note**

I promised an earlier update, so you get an earlier update. That and this chapter is a ton shorter than I originally intended it to be. I got to this chapter and realized that I really didn't feel like writing a fight scene, so it's a little lame. I never feel like writing fight scenes anymore though, which I foresee as being a problem in the long run. Oh well.

I'll give you a hint to the next chapter. It's title is one word, and starts with a K. Considering all chapter titles in this are based off of songs on the Kingdom Hearts albums, it's not hard to figure out.

The next chapter title is Kairi, and once again, it focuses on Aqua. Come to think of it, most in this fic do focus on either her or Ven. I think there's only one that's really from Terra's point of view, though we do see snippets from him as we go. Probably because Ven's the important character here, and I just like Aqua.

The following people are officially awesome: Twilight Cardmistress, Joahikim, KaUiA, Shifuni, Trainalf, Jad826 and Shadowfire2397. Seriously guys, thanks! I really appreciate it.

Because I am a loser, I've been posting a ton of pictures on my Deviant Art account. That and I've been playing with photoshop for class so I kind of got in the mood for playing with that rather than writing. Go check it out! I didn't add any new links on my profile, but any of them will take you to my gallery.

I also have fairly good versions of Midori, Crysita, Lilanti and Emiliana finished, but they're not posted yet. I'm looking into making Carverin, Sarlio and Jorix too. It's just so much easier to draw the girls though. Whatever, I'll do it eventually.

Done rambling! Lol! Please review! Seriously, I never ask, so do it. It'll make me happier than a squirrell in a nut storage facility.

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	10. Kairi

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Nine - Kairi_

The second that she appeared in Radiant Garden, Aqua knew that there was something different about this world. There was something tugging at her heart, telling her that she needed to be there.

It wasn't a spectacular world by any means, though if Aqua had time, she would have loved to stop and look at all of the flowers that seemed to surround the world. Instead, she walked down the cobblestone road swiftly.

Aqua had to stop and look up at the castle with a bit of awe though. It was tall, raising to the sky, and it was certainly a sight to behold. She had never seen the main city of Radiant Garden before, so even though she was in her home world, she felt like she was in a whole new world. Though she couldn't say why, she felt the urge to keep walking towards the looming castle, and was pleasantly surprised when she saw that the gardens were open to the public. What she was less excited about was the fact that there were Unversed everywhere.

She summoned her Keyblade and fought her way through the mass amount of Unversed with skilled ease. There were a lot of them, but they still didn't slow her down. Once they were out of the way, she let her Keyblade vanish and she continued on in silence.

As she approached the castle, Aqua couldn't help but stare up at it in awe. She came to a stop, just staring, when a scream broke through the air. She turned around quickly, her blue hair whipping into her eyes. She pushed her bangs out of the way and looked for the source of the scream. A second later, a little girl ran around the corner, some crumpled flowers held tightly in her hand as several twisted, black humanoid things followed her. Those were not Unversed, those were Endless.

Aqua moved quickly, rushing to the girl's side before blocking her from the creatures. She summoned her Keyblade again, holding it at her side while shielding the small girl. There were only three of them, but Aqua knew that these things were no to be underestimated. She felt her heart sink a bit when some Unversed appeared around them, and she heard the girl let out a whimper of fear. Normally, Aqua would just charge into battle, but that would leave this the small child unprotected, and there was always the chance of a powerful backlash if she used magic.

Out of nowhere, an oversize mouse suddenly jumped in front of her. Quick as lightning, he summoned his Keyblade and said, "Hurry, get her out of here. I can hold them off."

Aqua didn't question the creature. She swiftly turned around, dropping her Keyblade and picking up the small girl. Then, with the mouse covering her, she ran. Thankfully, the girl didn't struggle and hinder their escape, nor did she scream or cry to signal to the creatures where they were going. Aqua knew that there was probably more Unversed back in the gardens, so she ran around the side of the castle and found a groove in the wall. The creatures wouldn't see her right away here.

"Stay here," she said as she set the girl on the ground and knelt down in front of her. "I've got to go back and help him, but once they're gone, you can come out. You have stay here until then, understand?"

The little girl looked at her with tear-filled indigo eyes. She sniffled a bit before pushing her dark red hair out of her eyes and saying, "Okay."

Aqua smiled and stood up quickly. With only a quick glance back at the frightened girl, she rushed to where she had left the mouse alone to face the dark creatures.

Mickey (though she didn't yet know that was his name) was handling the situation with ease though, and she was certainly impressed with his level of skill, knowing that his training would have been very intense. He quickly bobbed and weaved in and out of the creatures, his blue and purple Keyblade with golden stars slicing through anything that came close to him.

"Thundaga!" Aqua heard him cry out as she drew closer. Powerful columns of lightning crashed into the ground, causing the Unversed around him to explode into nothingness. She had to admit it was an impressively powerful spell, and that was coming from someone who specialized in magic. Still, it wasn't quite enough to take out the Endless. She had only run into two or three of them before, but she knew for a fact that they were viciously strong.

Aqua ran up to his side, and the mouse only cast a quick look at her, catching her nod before they both jumped headlong into the battle.

She lunged towards the creatures, and she realized that the Endless were going to be the hard ones to destroy, so they needed to get the Unversed out of the way first. She flipped into a crowd of creatures and held her Keyblade high in the air and called out, "Light!" A strong blast of white light flew around her, slamming into the creatures and instantly destroying the Unversed, appearing to wind the Endless. .

Instinctively, she flipped backwards, avoiding the attack from an Endless that was stalking her from behind, and then she rushed forward, realizing that magic wasn't going to take these things out. It blocked her with one hand and tried to slash her with the other, but she jumped out of the way. Aqua struck the creature with her Keyblade again and again, desperately trying to find an opening, but it blocked every single attack.

She was visibly surprised when she saw Mickey jump into the air, his Keyblade slashing horizontally at the creature's neck. In a gruesome display, thick, black blood spurted from the creature as it's head and body hit the ground in two separate places. It stayed on the ground before it vanished.

"Apparently decapitation works!" Mickey cried out to her, sounding almost wary at this discovery. She couldn't blame him.

A scream of surprise escaped her lips as the Endless in front of her slammed its claws into her leg. She cried out in pain as it tore its claws down her leg, blood pooling on the ground as she toppled over.

Aqua shook from the pain passing through her, still managing to hold out her Keyblade in front of herself protectively.

Suddenly, Mickey was at her side. "Curaga." Though the wound on her leg closed, she could see feel pain from him it. Curing spells could only do so much.

"Faith!" Mickey cried out, and several blasts of powerful light rained down around them. Again and again it struck the Endless, and though it didn't hurt them, it did stun them.

Aqua managed to get to her feet again, feeling her magic coursing through her. She tossed her Keyblade into the air, and it was hovering around her. It swung around her, slicing through both of the monsters' necks at the same time

Aqua slumped to the ground, catching her Keyblade and keeping it in her hand. She took several deep breaths as the mouse walked towards her and said, "Thank you."

"It was no problem. I've never seen creatures like that before, so I'm glad you came back. I dunno if I could have taken them on my own," he answered quickly. "My name's Mickey. I'm Master Yen Sid's apprentice."

"I'm Aqua," she replied while shaking his hand happily.

"Say, where did you put that little girl?"

"Oh! I better—" Aqua stopped speaking when she heard soft footfalls and saw the small girl peer around the corner carefully. After seeing that there were no more of the monsters, the girl quickly walked around the corner and made her way over to them.

"I know you said stay ova dawe, but I could feel that they was gone," she said shyly, her big eyes flickering from Aqua to Mickey. She giggled a bit as she studied his big ears and his round nose.

"What's your name?" Mickey asked her curiously.

"I'm Kai-Kai-wi," she pouted suddenly. "I can't say awes yet. Mama says she's gonna get a speech th-awe-a-pist fo me."

"Kairi," Aqua repeated with a soft smile. "My name's Aqua, and this is Mickey. Are you okay?"

Kairi nodded her head and said, "Yeah. I was picking flowas fo mama and they just wawe just tha—thawe." She pouted again, knowing that she had said the word wrong and tried to say it over and over again. Neither Aqua or Mickey quite understood what she said, but they went with it.

"Do you think that they were after her specifically?" Aqua asked Mickey while Kairi was distracted.

"Yeah," he answered with a nod. "You must be able to feel it too. She had no darkness in her heart. That's a very rare thing. I feel like she's naturally supposed to be that way, not like the boy I met."

"The boy—was his name Ven?" Aqua asked excitedly.

Before Mickey could answer, Kairi took a step towards them, staring at the Keyblade in Aqua's hand with interest. She smiled brightly and said, "That's like the key the boy uses."

"What?" the young woman asked, confusion passing over her face. Had this girl met Ventus too? She doubted that she would call Terra 'the boy'. He was far too big and intimidating.

Kairi ignored the question as she stared at the weapon before reaching out carefully and touching it. Aqua didn't stop her though, and when she saw a small, barely visibly flash of light, she knew why. This girl, with pure light coursing through her, had the ability to use a Keyblade locked within her. Having that ability was rare enough as it was those days, but to have pure light on top of that? She was definitely made for something special. That was why Aqua let the Keyblade's power flow into the small girl.

"When I sleep," Kairi started, "I see a boy. He's stwong, and he's good. I like him a lot. He's sad though. He misses someone." Kairi put her free hand over her heart, the other still holding her ruined flower tightly. "I feel it hewe. He's special. I want him to smile though. He has a nice smile. I wanna meet him."

Mickey chuckled a bit and said, "I'm sure you'll meet him then, if you want to that much. Say, Kairi, where you do live? Your parents must be worried."

Kairi turned slightly and pointed up at the castle. Neither of the Keyblade Wielders could comprehend what the motion meant for a moment before Mickey suddenly coughed violently and asked, "Your dad is Ansem the Wise?"

Kairi giggled at this and said, "No, he's my uncle. My mama's budda. He's the king. We live in the castle though. Mama says that uncle Ansem doesn't have kids so I'm an ai-ew. It's cause I'm olda than my cousin Nami. Nami's mama, and mine awe twins."

"Her mother's one of the princesses here," Mickey said to Aqua. "By blood, the royal family here only consisted of Ansem and his two younger sisters who are twins. I spoke to him once and he commented that he couldn't have children. What she says makes sense, because if he has no children, the throne would go to the oldest niece or nephew."

"Why are you out here on your own Kairi?" Aqua asked her after a moment of thought. "Shouldn't someone be with you?"

"It's easy to get away fom them," she answered with a shrug.

"You shouldn't wander off," the young woman insisted. "Your parents are probably worried, and those creatures are out here."

Kairi frowned and said, "They showed up and attack-ded me. I dunno why. I didn't do anything wong."

Aqua blinked at this before glancing at Mickey and asked, "We should probably take her inside before they come back."

"Probably, and she's—" Suddenly, a bright light came from Mickey's pocket, he pulled out his star shard. They all winced from the bright light and he called out, "Don't worry, I'll be okay!"

Once the light dimmed, Mickey was gone.

Kairi blinked with surprise before looking and Aqua and asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "Come on, lets get you inside."

"These awe fo you," Kairi said, holding out her partly ruined flowers.

Aqua smiled warmly at her and said, "Thank you Kairi. Come on, I'll take you inside." She held out her hand, and Kairi happily took it.

They walked towards the front of the castle where there were two large men guarding the door. They looked towards them and a surprised look passed on both of their faces. "Princess Kairi? How did you get here?"

"The doow," she answered simply. "Aqua is going to come inside with me, okay? She saved me."

The men stared at each other for a moment before nodding and moving aside to let the small princess and her saviour inside.

Aqua couldn't have known that if they had waited a few minutes longer, they would have met up with Ventus, who was denied access to the castle.

**VVVVVVVV**

Aqua was a little taken back at how beautiful Kairi's mother was. Aqua was a confident person and knew that she was fairly attractive, but it was nothing compared to the sheer beauty of this woman. She had long, silky red hair, vibrant indigo eyes and porcelain-like skin without a single blemish on her. She held herself up perfectly straight and with confidence, and the fancy dress she wore accented her curves perfectly. Aqua felt like a dirty slimeball compared to her.

Aqua had squirmed a bit under her intense stare at first, but after hearing Kairi's story, the woman quickly became much more open and friendly. Observing the girl and mother together made Aqua a little envious, so she tried to focus on other things. She was invited to stay for dinner, but Kairi's father never made an appearance.

"My husband is a busy man," Kairi's mother, Princess Manami explained while cutting up dainty pieces of her food. "He is the Lord of the Rose Town, as it is. Of course, he is much more attentive than some of those other Lords are."

Aqua raised her eyebrow slightly but nodded her head.

"It was an arranged marriage. Betrothed before I was sixteen and married before my eighteenth birthday. As is proper."

"An arranged married?" Aqua asked slowly.

"Of course. It's the life of royalty. Already we have begun to look in to setting Kairi and the son of the Lord of Violet Town together." Aqua knew exactly where that was. She had lived there, and she remembered the Lord being a pretty big brute. She also knew that his youngest son was a few years older than she was, making him at least fifteen years older than the small girl.

"He's mean mama," Kairi said, kneeling up on her chair and grabbing at her food with her hands. "The Lod. And stinky. I don't like him. Besides, I'm going to ma-ee Sowa."

"Oh Kairi, not again with your imaginary friends. Please, sit properly and eat with your fork and knife."

"Yes mama." Aqua was surprised to see the four-year-old sit properly on her chair (propped up by a large cushion), and eat more elegantly that she was sure either Terra or Ventus could. Her eyes darted from Kairi to her mother and back. The young girl was nearly the spitting image of her mother, except for a few of her more subtle features. There was something more open and bright about the young girl though. Like her heart hadn't been tainted with politics and proper procedures yet.

"Sowa's weal though," Kairi added in quickly. "Nami's seen him too. Is she coming ova?"

"We must take you to a speech therapist soon," her mother said with a sigh.

After that rather awkward supper, Manami offered Aqua a place to stay for the night in thanks of saving her daughter. Aqua accepted after realizing how late it was actually getting, and settled into the room that was given to her after taking cleaning herself up.

She was looking over her map of the different worlds, staring at the ones with Xs through them, not really caring that her still damp hair dripped onto the paper from time to time. Some worlds were circled, indicating that they were worlds that homed people with pure hearts. They were also the worlds that were hit with the worst attacks so far by both Unversed and Endless. In fact, if Aqua was remember right, the only worlds she saw the Endless in were those where she found people with pure hearts. She didn't know all that much about them though, because they were rarely ever seen.

There was a knock at the door, followed by a giggle. Aqua smiled a bit, opening the door to see Kairi and another young girl who looked startlingly like her. There were a few different features, but their faces were almost the same. The big difference between them was, where Kairi had red hair and indigo eyes, this girl had platinum blonde hair and deep brown eyes.

"Hi Aqua," Kairi said happily. "This Naminé. She's my cousin."

"Hello Naminé," Aqua said with a smile. The girl blushed a bit and giggled in response.

"Show Aqua Nami," Kairi said, nudging her cousin in the room. "You book."

Naminé was hugging a sketchbook to her and reluctantly handed it to Aqua. The young woman looked at her curiously before flipping open the cover. The first thing that hit her was how good the drawings were for only someone who was four.

There were six people drawn out on the page, which had a date on the top. As if sensing what Aqua was thinking, Naminé said, "Mommy puts when I draw them on it."

"Who are these people, your friends? Your drawings are really good Naminé," Aqua praised.

"That's me," she said, pointing to a blonde drawn with the same dark blue eyes that were used on the person who was obviously Kairi. "And Kairi," Naminé confirmed.

"I tied to wight the names," Kairi added, pointing at the scribbling above each person. Aqua could see it if she tilted her head. The names listed were Nam, Kai, Ion, Rox, Rik and Sora. Aqua had a feeling that Sora's name was the only one fully written out.

She smiled a bit and said, "They're really good Naminé." She couldn't help but notice that the drawing of Sora seemed to really look like how Kairi described him earlier, at least in scribbled form.

Aqua looked at a few more pictures until one of the maids came and got Kairi and Naminé.

"Wait," Naminé said suddenly, just as they were about to leave the room. She flipped through her book and said, "The tall one is lost, and the short one is scared. They both need you."

Aqua felt the breath leave her as she realized what she was looking at. It was a picture of her, Terra and Ventus, and it was dated the week before.

Her eyes snapped back to Naminé with surprise, not sure what to say. There was a knowing look in the small girl's eyes that made her seem much older than she really was.

Naminé whispered, "I can see things when I draw, and I saw you." Then she followed the maid back to Kairi's room where they were having a sleepover, leaving the sketchbook with Aqua.

The blue-haired woman stared at the images in shock. Naminé had known about her before they had ever met, before she had even stepped onto that world for the first time since leaving it years before.

She stared at the pictures of Kairi, Naminé and the other children, and she couldn't help but wonder if maybe they were all real too.

**Author's Note**

What's this? Another pretty quick update? Why, yes it is. Really though, I tend to update when I finish writing a chapter (I'm a bit ahead, just in case I hit a hard spot so that I can still update), and I've been flying through the future chapters so I figured, why the hell not?

This chapter is where you should see some of the strong similarities between the original and this one. Though I did change it from Kairi's parents being the actual King and Queen to Ansem being the King and her just being the heir. I'm just too lazy to figure out another way around that.

My suggestion: Nod your head, grin and go with it.

So thank you to my reviewers! Jad826, Chairman LoneStar, Joahikim, shadowwolf547, Shifuni, Shadowfire2397, KaUiA and Trainalf!

Take a guess who finally shows up in the next chapter?

_**Krystal Lily Potter **_


	11. Sora

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Ten – Sora_

"Look at the little weirdo."

"What a shrimp."

"He talks to people that aren't real you know."

"His whole family is strange."

"His brother is a murdrer on the run."

"He's not that bright."

"It's kind of annoying how he always smiles."

"I don't like him."

"That's okay, no one does. He doesn't really have many friends."

Cerulean eyes turned to the floor so that no one could see the tears welding up in them. He didn't need to be called a crybaby too. He pushed his sandwich away from him, not wanting to eat it even though it was his favorite. He wished his mother hadn't made him come to preschool.

His mother had told him that he would make friends. She said it was impossible for him not to, because he was always smiling and happy, and people liked to be around others who were happy. Lately though, his smiles were fake, and it seemed like everyone knew it.

Somewhere deep inside of him, he felt things that make him sad. Sometimes he would even cry without realizing it. He had no idea why, there was so much hurt when there was no cuts or bruises. It made him withdrawn, cautious to go near others for some reason. The other children quickly decided that they didn't like him because of how suspicious he was.

The only ones that actually seemed to like him were the children in the neighborhood he grew up in. There were those two hyperactive three-year-olds, Selphie and Tidus, who were nice but a little insane, and then there was the two older boys, Wakka and Riku. Sora had spent more time with Riku than anyone else, but he honestly wasn't sure if the older boy saw him as a friend or just someone to boss around. Actually, he wasn't sure if there was a difference between those two things or not.

Sora ate his lunch in silence, watching the other kids talking and playing. They went from gossiping about him to ignoring him, something that he was thankful for.

After a very silent lunchtime for Sora, the two daycare workers brought out crayons, markers, safety scissors, paints, brushes, paper and so much more. All the children loved arts and crafts time.

Sora wasn't all that crazy over it though, another thing that set him apart. He was already the strange kid who didn't seem to like people, whose brother vanished without any obvious reason, and who had a very stern mother. Then he was labeled as weird because he didn't like arts and crafts time. Well, to be fair, he just wasn't any good at painting or drawing. That wasn't even the reason why he didn't like it though.

He glanced down at the picture he was drawing without realizing it, and felt something that made him feel icky pass through him. It was a picture of him, but he wasn't alone. A stick figure stood beside him, the same blue used for the eyes, but yellow used for the hair. This happened every time. He would draw this person, and while he first thought that he was drawing his older brother, something tugged at his heart. That was wrong. Whoever it was in the picture wasn't Ventus.

He was someone who Sora didn't know, but he desperately missed.

"Sora?"

He slowly looked up and saw a young woman staring at him. She knelt down beside him, her face curious. Sora thought that she was a pretty woman with her big lavender eyes and her long navy hair, and she was really nice.

"Yes, Ms. Hana?" he asked.

"Are you alright sweetie?" she asked him slowly.

"Yeah," he answered while looking down at the picture.

She looked down at it too before asking, "Who is that?"

"My brother," Sora said, and for a moment, something warm passed through him even though he knew that wasn't true. He only had one brother, and it wasn't him in the picture. The sadness returned.

"Do you miss him?" Ms. Hana asked him curious. "Is that why you're crying?"

Sora hadn't realized that there were tears in his eyes again. He quickly wiped them away, but he knew that everyone else had seen.

"I bet he left because you were weird," one boy said suddenly.

"Daiki," Ms. Hana snapped. "That's not nice. Say sorry to Sora."

"No," the boy frown. "It's true. We all know it. Maybe his brother is a criminal and was taken away. I bet he will be too. I bet his brother deserved to go away forever."

Ms. Hana was scolding Daiki, but Sora wasn't listening. The words 'I bet his brother deserved to go away forever' kept echoing in his head, drilling into his heart painfully. It was unbearable, and he could feel the hot tears streaking down his cheeks.

"No he doesn't!" Sora suddenly yelled and grabbed the thing closest to him, a cup full of green paint, and threw it at the boy, it hit him in the face, splashing all over his face and hair.

"Sora!" Ms. Hana yelled as Daiki started screaming. She quickly went to wipe that paint of his eyes and looked at the brunet. "Go stand in the hall. I'm calling your mother!"

"But—"

"Go!"

Sora let the tears fall as he went into the hall. He stopped for a second as one of the other workers look out to make sure he was there, but while everyone else was distracted, he quickly ran towards the door that led outside, propped open by one of the janitors. Most of the time the doors were locked, so no one expected a small, four-year-old to be able to run away.

But that's exactly what Sora did.

**VVVVVVV**

Riku walked down the beach, enjoying the warm day. He had attempted to build a sand castle, but it was a little hard to do on his own. He was oh-so stubborn, believing it to be the sand's fault and not his own, so he went off in search of better sand. Of course, he stayed where his mother could peer outside at him. Well, he would if she was actually paying attention. She and his father were yelling at each other again. They did that a lot now.

Normally, he'd be in school, but one of the awesome (in his mind) older kids did something to a pipe that made it break, or something like that, so they had to close the entire school. He didn't care about the exact details. It gave him an extra day off from the long, tiring days of Kindergarten.

Suddenly, movement out of the corner of Riku's eye caught his attention. He looked over and saw a small figure run onto the beach, tripping over a stray piece of washed up wood and toppling into the white sand. He lay there for a moment, and Riku wondered if he was dead, but then the boy got back up. That's when he realized who it was.

That was Sora, his best friend, though he didn't think he ever mentioned that to him, or would ever mention it. Everyone else was just so boring compared to Sora. Riku was a little confused though, because his mother had said that Sora was in preschool, so why was he out on the beach, and without his mother? She was awfully protective of him, usually at least walking him to the beach or Riku's house.

Riku forget his search for the perfect sand, instead going over to investigate his friend. As he drew close though, he noticed that Sora was crying.

"Come on, you didn't fall that hard Sora," he blurted out, always tactful on his friend's feelings.

Sora looked up at him through tear-filled eyes, looking a little stunned to see him. Neither of them asked why the other was there, but Sora said, "It's not that. It just… won't go away."

"What won't?" the older boy asked.

Sora put his hand over his heart and said, "Something here. It hurts a lot but it's not me."

Riku blinked with surprise and said, "Well, if it's not you, maybe someone else out there is really sad, and they're trying to get you to help them."

"How?" the younger of the two wondered.

"I dunno. You'll figure it out though."

They sat on the beach in silence, and Riku quickly got bored. He didn't like depressed Sora. His eyes slid over to the boats there. His father had shown him and Sora how to use one, though they were told to never go on their own. Still, no one would have to know if they never got caught.

"Lets go over to the island," he said excitedly.

"But we're not allowed, Riku," Sora said, trying to brush away his tears.

"So? Lets go! We can get over there and back before anyone finds out!"

"I dunno, you think of some pretty weird things," Sora said. He seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding his head. "Okay."

The two children somehow managed to untie one of the tiny boats, get in without falling in the water, and pushed the boat away from the little dock. Then they started haphazardly paddling to the small island.

It was good that the play island was fairly close to the main island; otherwise it would have taken them forever to get there. They did eventually make it though, in nearly quadruple the time it would have taken Riku's father to row them over.

"I'll race ya to the tree!" Riku cried out the second that they got onto the beach. Sora was a little surprised by the sudden declaration, but he quickly jumped out of the boat after his friend, and the two took off running, not bothering to even fully pull the boat up onto the shore.

They shot passed a young man, not even really noticing him. Sora was panting, trying to keep up with Riku, but he was so much faster.

They climbed up onto the tree and Sora took in a deep breath, his eyes turning up and looking at the paopu fruit on the tree.

"I always wanted to try that," Riku said, seeing what Sora was looking at.

Sora's eyes widened and he said, "You're not allowed! My brother and mommy told me so! It's bad for you and hurts your insides."

"Really?" Riku's expression suddenly matched Sora's, though he seemed a little more skeptical. "You sure?"

"Yeah, Venny told me so."

There was a sudden crack behind them, and they both looked around with surprise. There was a tall, young man with brown hair and turquoise eyes staring at them oddly. Riku suddenly felt a wave of protectiveness pass through him. He was the older of the two of them, he had to make sure that his upset friend wasn't hurt by a strange stranger.

**VVVVVVV**

Terra felt like the world was weighing on his shoulders. He felt so wrapped up in the darkness that he didn't even know if he could call himself good or not anymore. He tried to do good things, but the road to hell was paved with good intentions. He had managed to help Cinderella, but that Wicked Queen and Maleficent, they were nasty pieces of work that knew how to manipulate someone.

He knew that Aqua was watching him closely. Though she hadn't said it the few times that he had run into her, he still knew that she was. Of course, when he questioned her, she threw out the excuse that she was looking for Ventus. He had run away from home, that much Terra did know, but he had a feeling that Aqua wasn't really trying all that hard to find him. If she really wanted to, she could have hunted him down without a problem.

He too had a mission to find someone, but his mission was for Master Xehanort. A young child, whose light strongly outweighed his darkness, and who was creating the monsters attacking the worlds. Terra had come to the conclusion that the child must not have been aware of what he was doing, and he needed to make sure that the boy stopped, but only Master Xehanort knew how. So he was going to find that boy. It was his duty to save the worlds.

Something drew him towards a small world that he was passing by. It only consisted of an ocean with a series of islands, but Terra felt the urge to land there.

The sunlight was warm on his skin as he walked onto the sand, and it smelled far too strongly of the salty ocean for his tastes, but he could see why some people would like a place like that. He looked up at the sky, but instead, one of the trees caught his attention. He blinked with surprise when he saw an oddly shaped tree with star-shaped fruit. It was the tree Aqua had talked about.

"I'll race ya to the tree!" a small voice called out. Terra looked around and watched two small children run by him. The taller of the two was ahead, his short silver hair flying behind him, the smaller boy rushing behind him, stumbling in the sand. He was impressed that they were able to run as quickly as they could across the white sand.

They passed him, apparently not noticing him, running into a nearby shack. When they rushed by him though, an odd feeling shot through him. The light that he felt coming from one of the boys was so strong, so intense, that it was almost like looking at Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora or even Ventus, but not quite.

Terra stared at them with surprise. There was no way that he had just happened to stumble upon the one he was looking for. Then again, he hadn't known what had drawn him to that particular world in the first place.

He watched the two boys sitting on the tree and slowly approached them, not wanting to startle either of them. He stepped on a particularly loud board on the bridge leading to the small island, and the both turned around and faced him. The older of the two, the boy with the silver hair, glared at him and said something to his younger friend quietly before jumping off of the tree and slowly approaching Terra, still keeping his distance.

"What do you want?" Riku demanded, and Terra was taken back by the power that came off of the boy. He could see it, locked away in the boy's heart, was the power of the Keyblade. He would be strong and powerful, that was already obvious. It also wasn't lost on Terra that he was defending his friend, who cautiously came closer as well. That was definitely a good trait to have.

Still, he could feel the light swirling harmoniously with the darkness inside of the boy. He wasn't the child that Terra was looking for, but his power was astounding. It was enough to make him think that this boy deserved the power of the Keyblade. Terra wasn't a Master yet, but he knew, somewhere deep inside of him, that this boy was meant to be his apprentice. Maybe that was why he was brought to this world.

Terra's eyes slid to the second boy, and he almost had to wince. Now that he was focused and trying to read them, it really was almost like looking at Ventus. The younger boy's light shone brightly, eclipsing his friend's own power now that Terra was focused on him. Unlike Cinderella, Snow White, or Aurora, all of whom had pure light within them but weren't that powerful in their own respects, the power was practically pulsing off of this boy. Enough to possibly create dark creatures to try and counteract his own overwhelming light that hid the bit of darkness within him.

This was definitely the child he was looking for.

"You need to come with me," Terra said, pointing at the younger boy. He cursed himself after that, because that certainly wasn't very tactful on his part.

Both boys took a step back and Riku snapped, "Leave us alone."

Sora took a hesitant step forward so that he was beside Riku and asked, "Why?"

"Because bad things are happening and we need you to stop what you're doing."

Sora and Riku both backed up a bit more, putting more space between themselves and this mysterious person. Riku threw his arm out in front of Sora in a protective gesture and said, "He didn't do anything wrong." Riku wanted to protect his friend, but he had no clue what to do. They never should have went to the island on their own.

"You might not realize it, but you're causing bad things to happen," Terra explained to Sora. "I know someone that can help you make it stop."

There was a sudden look of realization in the small boys eyes and he put a hand over his heart and asked, "Is that why it hurts? I'm hurting people?" He looked up at Terra with confused, tear-filled eyes. Sora didn't want to hurt anyone.

To be honest, Terra was a little startled that the boy could feel what was happening, though he wasn't consciously aware that he was making the creatures. He sighed and said, "Probably. You need to come with me."

"No," Riku said quickly. "No, we don't know you." He grabbed Sora's sleeve and dragged him back some.

Terra felt annoyance pass through him and he said, "Look, I don't want to have to take you from your home, but I have to."

The brown-haired boy wasn't paying attention to him though. He was looking down at the ground. "I'm hurting people? Am I hurting Venny?"

"What?" Terra asked, startled by that. Benny, the boy must have said Benny. Ventus, Ven, or any form of the name (including Venny) weren't exactly common names. In fact, he was sure that he had never heard of the name Ventus until he met his friend.

Suddenly, the boy's cerulean eyes snapped to him and he shook his head violently. "No, you're lying. Go away."

"Look kid—"

"Go away!"

Riku looked back behind them and saw that they were at the edge of the small isle. They could both swim, but it was a really long drop and the water was kind of shallow, and his dad had said not to jump into the water because they could get hurt on the rocks below.

Terra felt an odd sensation as the younger of the two stared at him with his wide blue eyes filled with tears and stubbornness. He was positive that he had seen those eyes before, but he needed to ignore that for now. No matter who this boy was, who his family might be, Terra needed to bring him to Master Xehanort.

He reached out to grab the boy's arm when something slammed into him, throwing him backwards onto the ground. Terra was visibly startled by this and looked up to see Ventus standing protectively in front of the two small boys, glaring at him with Keyblade in hand. He was shaking, and Terra had a feeling that it was from anger.

"What do you think you're doing?" a high, angry voice yelled at him. He looked around and saw Aqua standing behind him, hey own Keyblade held out and rage in her eyes. "I can't believe you were just going to—"

Terra looked back at Ventus, who had knelt down and was now trying to console the sobbing child by hugging him, and Terra felt like he was left out of the loop about something very important.

**VVVVVVV**

**Author's Note**

Short chapter again. Oh well. Next chapter you get to see how Ventus and Aqua ended up on Destiny Islands just in time.

Children can be cruel. People asked me in the original why some kids would pick on Sora's when he's such a likeable character. Yes, he's likeable, but I was playing with the idea that children are more perceptive about some things. They all just feel that something's different about Sora, plus he always seems sad now.

And Riku, I can really see him acting like an older brother to Sora and trying to protect him, even as a kid. When you're younger, being a year older seems to make all the difference in the world.

Okay, so basically, to keep everyone up to speed: the Destiny Islands scenes you saw in the games didn't happen. At all. Any scene on Destiny Islands is going to be rewritten. They also didn't meet up in Radiant Garden like in the game.

Also some people haven noticed, in the previous chapter, that in the list of names I had Aqua list of 'Ion' as one of the names and a few people are like 'what? But Midori was mentioned last time and Xion doesn't exist here, etc…'.

My answer to this? I am straight out fucking with your minds. Follow my logic here.

Kairi's four. She's just leaning how to write and spell things, so obviously she's going to get some things wrong. So I'll break down my thought process for you:

Midori – Xion

Ori – Ion

Now, many little kids mess up in spelling, so the 'r' in Ori could have easily looked more like an N. So that changes it to this:

Oni – Ion

Kairi stopped paying attention and accidentally put the 'I' at the beginning instead of the end. It happens.

Keep in mind that it was from Aqua's point of view, so she wouldn't have known this. So she read it as 'Ion' but Kairi meant 'Ori'.

Again, why did I do this? Well, to see if anyone would notice the small details and again, to basically mess with your minds.

Just goes to show, the smallest details matter.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed. Who's awesome? You're awesome! So the following people get metaphorical trophies of awesomeness: Twilight Cardmisstress, Shifuni, Joahikim, Jad826, Shadowfire2397, shadowwolf547, Shire Folk and AKAAkira.

Next chapter will be up pretty quickly too. For a bit of an update on where my writing is: I've already gone over the total amount of chapters that there were in the original, I have a few left to write, and I just wrote a really important event that did happen in the original.

Remember to review!

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	12. Destiny Islands

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Eleven – Destiny Islands_

Ventus was in a world of pain when he crashed onto the ground. He let out a groan, wondering how Mickey could travel with a Star Shard if all of the landings were that painful and the entire ride was wilder than an extreme rollercoaster.

"King Mickey?" a distorted voice called out, causing Ventus to look up with confusion.

"Nope," another voice answered and he finally was able to clear his vision, realizing that there was an anthropomorphic duck and dog standing in front of him, looking rather disappointed that he wasn't King Mickey.

Then he realized something about that statement and asked, "King?"

"Look, he has the Star Shard!"

"Maybe he knows where the King is!"

Ventus was more than confused when they pulled him to his feet and started pushing and shoving him into the tower. He tried to get out a few questions, but the dog and duck ignored him. He eventually decided not to struggle and to just go with it. They weren't bad or dangerous, so he followed them up the stairs.

Eventually, they ended up in a circular room where a rather imposing man sitting behind a desk. They stopped walking and stood on either side of Ventus, the dog saying, "Master Yen Sid sir, we have a clue where Mickey is."

The duck walked forward and put the Star Shard on the man's desk.

He stared at it before looking at the blond boy and saying, "Ventus. Master Eraqus has been searching for you."

Ventus blinked a bit, surprised that this man knew his name, but then again, it was Master Yen Sid. He was even more powerful than Master Eraqus. He realized what Yen Sid was saying and stuttered a bit, not sure how to reply to them.

"Mickey too felt the need to leave without my permission," the old sorcerer said. "Tell me, where did you find this Star Shard?" This question was poised to Donald and Goofy.

"It was with Ventalis—er—ventalator—"

"Just call him Ven!" Donald growled.

Ventus chuckled a bit at the two, shrugged and said, "That's what everyone else calls me. Who are you?"

"I'm Goofy," the dog answered.

"Donald," the duck said.

They all turn back to Yen Sid, who was staring at the Star Shard. "Tell me Ventus, where did _you_ find this?"

Ventus shook his head and said, "I met Mickey in a few different places, but when I found this, he wasn't there. I have no idea where he ended up, but I was in Never Land."

"So he's traveling from world to world. I theorized as much. Mickey has a good heart, much like your own, and he felt the need to help the child that many are hunting." Yen Sid paused, looking out at the sky. He turned to Donald and Goofy and said, "We are about to have another visitor. She appears to be in a rush, and she's not alone."

"She?" Ventus repeated. "Aqua?"

"Yes, and if I'm not mistaken, she has Mickey with her."

Donald and Goofy both suddenly rushed to the door at this. Ventus watched them go with a smile, knowing already that they were both good friends with Mickey. He glanced back at Yen Sid and asked, "I was just wonder, Donald and Goofy called Mickey a King and…well…"

Yen Sid nodded his head. "Yes, Mickey is the King of Disney. Though I believe that he certainly feels that his Queen, Minnie, does a much better job at ruling than he does. He struggled through a very hard time not too long ago when the first ruler of Disney, a human man named Walt, who was Mickey's adoptive father, died. He returned home only to find that his brother, Oswald, had vanished as well. He would rather that no one felt that type of pain, which is why he tries so hard to help more than just his own world."

Before Ventus could ask anything else, the door flew open again and Donald and Goofy appeared, followed by Aqua, who was cradling an unconscious Mickey Mouse in her arms.

Yen Sid stood up and said, "Put him here Aqua." He motioned to his desk.

Aqua nodded and walked by Ventus, not even noticing him, placing Mickey where he had instructed. Yen Sid quickly went to work, making sure that his apprentice was alright, while Donald and Goofy hovered around their friend with worry. She let out a sigh and turned around, blinking with surprise at who she saw. "Ven?"

He smiled sheepishly and said, "I found Mickey's Star Shard and got dragged here."

"I found Mickey hovering in the lanes in-between," Aqua replied. "Have you seen Terra at all lately?"

Ventus was slightly surprised that she didn't jump down his throat about going home the second she saw him, but he wasn't about to question it. "No, why?"

"It's…just some things that I've heard. Some things I've seen."

"Like what?"

She looked away from him for a moment before slowly saying, "I think…he's searching for someone, and he's not using the best means to do it. I've seen him try to help people, but he's also been careless."

"Terra is indeed searching for something," Yen Sid interrupted them suddenly. They turned to look at him, and Ventus glanced around and saw Donald and Goofy carrying Mickey out of the room. "He will be fine, he just needs some rest. You are correct in saying that Terra is searching for someone, though I dare say that he has ventured too close to the darkness in his quest, even if his intentions are good."

"Who?"

"The same child that Vanitas seeks." Ventus glanced at Aqua, but she didn't question the name, so he assumed that she had run into the masked boy as well. "Though I feel that their intentions for the child are vastly different."

"Why? Why is everyone trying to find him? Why is Terra trying to find him?" Ventus blurted out, desperately wanting some answers. He ignored Aqua's curious look, focusing on Master Yen Sid instead.

Yen Sid looked away from them, once again walking to look out the window as he spoke. "What do you know of Kingdom Hearts?"

"It looks like a moon, but if you approached it from space it wouldn't be there," Aqua answered. "The power within it is immense, and is impossible to control or access."

"Partial truth," Yen Sid agreed. "Ventus, perhaps you could clear up the confusion most who did not originate in Twilight's Destiny posses?"

Ventus looked up at him slowly before saying, "The current ruler of Twilight's Destiny, be it a King or Queen, is given a fraction of the power of Kingdom Hearts. It's said that they're given these powers in return for basically channeling the power of all their subjects into Kingdom Hearts. If the power source is cut off and isn't replaced, meaning the heir to the throne, then the world will fall to pieces and Kingdom Hearts will retreat to…somewhere. Though it doesn't matter now, because Twilight's Destiny doesn't exist anymore."

"The King would have forced the very power within him into the world itself, shattering it, but Kingdom Hearts would have tried to protect as many people as possible, since that is at least one source of its power." Ventus looked down as the Master spoke.

Aqua stared at him before looking at Yen Sid and asking, "So it can be controlled a bit? But why…this child can use the power, can't he? The heir to the throne?"

"Yes and no," Yen Sid said. "He has the ability within him to possess the powers some day. This child is special though. A born Keyblade Master."

She jerked with surprise. "What? But, that's impossible!"

The sorcerer shook his head. "It is very possible, and it is the reason so many are searching for him. Now, even if he never gains the power of Kingdom Hearts, he will still have control over every single light Keyblade in existence, even those that don't belong to him. Can you think of anything that may equal Kingdom Hearts' power, and still be obtainable through this boy?"

Aqua's eyes widened. "The χ-Blade. But—in theory that could unlock Kingdom Hearts and…oh my god. Why is Terra looking for him?"

"Even my knowledge had limits, but I feel that he believes it to be a worthwhile cause, though he hovers very close to the darkness." Yen Sid looked over at Ventus, who was shifting from foot to foot. "You wish to continue your search for the boy."

Ventus looked up at him with a desperate look. "I have to find him. Please Master Yen Sid, do you know where Destiny Islands is? I've been looking for it but I cant—"

"It is a hard world to find," Yen Sid agreed. "Even Master Eraqus cannot reach it without you there to form a connection to the world. He has asked for my help to do so, in search of you, but unfortunately I could not."

"Why do you want to find this child?" Aqua asked, uncertainty tainting her voice.

"He's my brother," Ventus whispered. "My little brother. He's only four and—" For a moment, a second baby appeared in his mind. "I already let my other little brother down. He died when he was only six months old. They were twins. I can't let Sora down too."

Aqua was piecing together everything in her mind and she slowly said, "Your little brother has the ability to use the power, which only goes through the royal family so—oh my god."

"It doesn't matter," he pointed out. "It doesn't matter because the world was torn apart, the power is locked away somewhere, hopefully forever. My grandfather, father and little brother died that night because of the goddamn Endless attacking. Good to know that most of them got taken out in the process. My mom and brother live on a small, backwater world, and I need to find him before something bad does. That's all there is to it! Are you going to drag me back to the Master for wanting to save the only family I have left?"

Aqua blinked away the tears that threatened to come before she shook her head and said, "No. Of course not. I—" She looked at Yen Sid. "Is there any way we can get there?"

"Ventus' heart is the key," Yen Sid said. "Though I could not open a path for Eraqus, with you here, I can. Your heart is directly connected to your brother's, which makes it much easier to connect you to the world he's on. In fact, it is my belief that if your brother's heart wasn't connected to yours, that you would be in a catatonic state. Few people are meant to have pure hearts without any darkness, and none of them are male. Yours is not natural Ventus, and your brother is what's keeping you alive."

This startled him immensely. He opened his mouth to say something, but he wasn't sure what he could say to this. Yen Sid moved to the center of the room without another room, placing one hand on Ventus' shoulder and the other held up in the air. Then a glowing portal of light appeared in front of them.

"Go," Yen Sid said. "Both of you. Mickey will be better soon, and the boy needs you. Terra is already there."

Those words snapped Ventus out of his stunned silence. He quickly jumped to action, running into the portal without another word.

"Hurry Aqua, it won't stay open long without him here," Yen Sid informed her.

"Thank you," she replied quickly as she quickly ran after her friend.

Yen Sid sighed deeply and looked at the stars again. "So much tragedy awaits them. Their birth by sleep will change the worlds as we know it.

**VVVVVVV**

Ventus had never moved so quickly in his life. He registered the familiar sandy beach for only a second before an even more familiar voice yelled out, "Go away!" He jerked around quickly, and saw Terra standing before his little brother and his friend.

He was vaguely away of Aqua appearing beside him, but he ignored her, rushing as fast as he could towards the small islet with the paopu tree. He managed to jump onto the bridge in a single bound and summoned his Keyblade as he ran at them. He pushed Terra away roughly, and though normally he would barely be able to move Terra, surprise and adrenaline were on his side. He stood, facing his stunned friend, his Keyblade held in front of him.

Aqua rushed up behind Terra and angrily said, "What are you doing?" Her Keyblade was out, and she was staring at Terra with a mixture of rage, shock, and disappointment. "I can't believe you were just going to—"

Ventus stopped paying attention to them though when Aqua arrived, knowing that she could handle Terra. His Keyblade vanished, and he quickly turned and knelt down in front of the small boy.

"Sora," he whispered to the little boy, who let out a sob and suddenly threw himself at his older brother. He gripped his shirt tightly as he cried, and Ventus hugged him tightly. He could feel the linger fear coming from the small boy, and he instantly felt some anger for Terra.

Ventus looked up and saw Riku shifting around a bit awkwardly. Seeing Ventus' eyes on him, Riku gave him a guilty look and said, "I wanted to keep him safe."

The blond boy smiled at this and said, "Thank you, Riku. I'm glad Sora's friends with someone like you."

Riku beamed at him before turning to watch Terra and Aqua with interest.

Ventus pushed Sora back a bit and bent a little more so that they were at eye length with each other and he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Venny, please don't let him take me. Please? I'm sorry I run away. I sorry." Sora babbled on incoherently. Ventus frowned a bit at his words though. Sora had tried to run away, and he had a feeling that he didn't mean from danger or anything like that. Then someone had tried to take him. It had to be traumatizing for such a small child.

Ventus hugged Sora tightly again before looking over at Terra, who was still sitting on the ground and watching the exchange silently. Aqua had stopped yelling and stood a few feet away from him, eyes flickering from one person to another.

"Why?" he asked his friend.

Terra knew exactly what Ventus was asking and said, "I thought—I wanted to help him."

"Help him?" Aqua repeated slowly.

"I do bad things," Sora whispered suddenly. "He says so. I hurt people." He finally stepped away from Ventus slightly, putting his hand over his heart. "It hurts. I'm hurting people."

"What gives you that idea?" Ventus asked his brother. Sora didn't say anything, he just looked at his feet. Knowing that he wasn't going to get an answer, he shifted his attention back to Terra. "Why did you tell him that?"

"It's what I was told," Terra explained. "There's a child out there with the light vastly outweighing the darkness. He's creating those creatures, the Unversed, even if he doesn't realize it."

"You believe that?" Aqua demanded to know. "You really believe that Terra? Look at this boy. He hasn't hurt a thing. Don't say it's because he doesn't realize it, because it's not true! You should be able to see that for yourself. Who told you this?"

"There was a reason I never told either of you about him," Ventus interrupted. "I didn't want something like this to happen. Us just being here puts everyone here in danger because something will probably follow us."

Terra looked away, the shame on his face visible. Ventus could see that he never intended to hurt Sora, but he was still bitter with him. He glanced over at the ocean and saw a small boat in the middle of the water, probably the one Riku and Sora used to get over there, even though they shouldn't have been there alone. He weighed the pros and cons in his mind, and realized that Sora and Riku were only small, his Keyblade Glider could probably handle both of them as well as his own weight.

"I'm taking them back home," Ventus said. "My house is over on that island if you need a place to stay later. Mom won't care."

"We lost the boat," Riku said sheepishly, pointing out at the water.

"I see that," Ventus said. "Good thing I have a different way back. You need to hold on to my legs tight though when we're on it, both of you. And you're not allowed to tell anyone else." He looked around at his friend and saw Aqua talking to Terra silently. She glanced at him and smiled, nodding her head to let him know that it was okay to leave and she'd try to settle everything. Though Aqua could be a nag at times, Ventus was glad that she was his friend.

Sora went and stood beside Riku, still sniffling and rubbing his tears away. They watched with interest as Ventus summoned his Keyblade and tossed it into the air, staring with wide eyes when it came back as his Glider.

He hopped on first and said. "Come on, you guys can sit on the board, but hold on to my legs, okay? Don't want you tumbling into the water or anything."

The two both seemed beyond excited to experience this.

**VVVVVVV**

Ventus hurried towards his house after dropping Riku off. Riku's mother had explained that his mother was frantic with worry. Sora had vanished from the preschool earlier that day and no one knew where he was. Riku admitted to them rowing to the other island and was grounded for a week. Ventus could still hear the lecture about what could have happened if he hadn't been there to find them.

There were police cars around his house when he got there, and he held his little brother to him closely. Sora was sleeping on his shoulder, tuckered out from the long day.

Ventus rushed up the steps and threw the door open, startling everyone inside. There was a pause as several police officers stared at him, before his mother suddenly let out a loud sob. "My baby!"

Her words had startled Sora out of his slumber, and he blinked with confusion as his mother shot forward and pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly and sobbing. "Sora…oh god, I thought you were hurt! I thought someone had taken you! Don't ever do that again!" She was sobbing hysterically by this point of time, which in turn, caused Sora to cry.

"Mom," Ventus whispered as he took a step forward. She looked up at him, staring as if she didn't know who he was, before one of her arms let go of Sora and she pulled him into the hug tightly. Ventus patted her back. "It's okay mom, he's okay. I found him on the play island with Riku. He said that he ran away."

"Ven," she sobbed. "Oh god, what if you hadn't been here to find him? What could have…" She trailed off, squeezing him so tightly that he was sure she was intent on breaking a rib.

He backed out of her arms and she went back to hugging her youngest son close to her. The police officers around them were smiling.

One of them came over to Ventus and clapped his hand onto his shoulder. "We wouldn't have thought to check on that island, at least not at first. There are some dangerous creatures around and there's supposed to be a storm coming in. You probably saved your brother's life."

Ventus chuckled a bit at this. He had no idea how true that statement probably was.

**VVVVVVV**

Ayame stood at the doorframe of her eldest son's room, the one that was rarely ever used. She watched Ventus read a book to Sora, who was desperately trying to stay awake, scared that his older brother was going to be gone when he woke up the next morning. It had happened before. Still, it had been a long day for everyone, and Sora was just barely staying awake.

She frowned suddenly as she stared at her youngest son. She would need to have a talk with the owner of the preschool. Letting an obviously distressed four-year-old just wander out of the school was not acceptable at all. Sora admitted that he threw paint at the other boy, but already Ayame was certain that she wouldn't be sending her son back to be around those horrible children. He had told her everything through tears, and she didn't have the heart to ground him.

"Mom?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Ventus, who was now standing before her, cradling his sleeping younger brother. She smiled warmly and took her youngest son into her arms, walking back to his own room. Ventus pulled Sora's covers back for his mother and watched as she tucked in the small boy, who cuddled up to his stuffed shark. Ventus had never understood that thing. Sora rejected any sort of teddy bears or any other common thing, but was obsessed with the little shark that he named Bubbles.

He stepped out of the room and his mother came out a moment later, leaving the door opened just a crack. She motioned for Ventus to follow her, leading him down to the living room. He was in the room for a whole two seconds before his mother hugged him tightly again.

"Mom, it's okay," Ventus said as he hugged her. "Everything's fine now."

"I was so scared," she explained. "They called me and said that he was gone and nobody knew where he was and I thought the worst. I thought someone had taken him."

Ventus thought of telling his mother about the danger that Sora was in. He decided quickly that, at the moment, he wouldn't put that burden of knowing on her. Not that night after she had gone through so much that day. He would tell her in the morning, he knew that she needed to know.

"Oh, right, two of my friends are here too," he suddenly remembered. "I kind of offered them a place to stay while we're here."

This surprised his mother, who smiled a second later and said, "That's wonderful Ven. Where are they?"

"They stayed back while I brought him and Riku home," he explained. "They were having a bit of an argument. Terra can get hot-headed at times, but Aqua usually straightens him out."

"Well, why don't you go and find them? I'm sure you probably just gave them directions along the lines of 'I live on that island' or something like that," Ayame teased, smiling a bit when she saw his cheeks go red with embarrassment.

"Er—I'll go find them." He said after a moment, and went to leave the room.

"Ven?"

He looked around at his mother.

"I'm glad you're home."

He smiled warmly at her. "Me too mom. Me too."

**VVVVVVV**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Okay, you're probably thinking 'what? Ven is just forgiving Terra like that?'. No, he's not, but he's almost not going to hold a grudge because he knows that Terra never meant to harm Sora, he thought he was doing the right thing. Still, he's going to be a bit bitter with him. Ventus and Sora are a lot alike, and Sora forgave Riku for pretty much trying to kill him easily, so I can see Ventus being similar.

If anyone's confused, the idea of Sora's heart 'hurting' and him being so wary of other people for a period of time actually stems from Ven. Ven was so worried and basically didn't want him to trust any new people, so he felt that.

Yes, police would have been all over looking for Sora. With adults you generally have to wait 24 hours before reporting them missing, but with children, the first hours are crucial for finding them. Logically though, none of them would have thought that a little kid could have got over to the play island on his own.

Oh my god we made over 100 reviews! I seriously love you guys. Imaginary cookies for all! The following people get metaphorical crowns of awesomeness: Trainalf, herald of disaster, Joahikim, Chairman LoneStar, Jad826, ccsakura21, Shadowfire2397, Shifuni, Twilight Cardmistress, shadowwolf547, 16afoster and Shire Folk!

Glad people liked my 'Xion/Midori' trick. Lol. I'm impressed with how many people actually read my long-winded author's notes.

Oh, and if anyone who read the sequel is curious about Midori & Crysita and what they actually look like, I posted a pretty good pic of them on my DA account. If you've never read it, I'd say don't look, cause there are some spoilers in the pic itself.

Remember to review! I really appreciate it!

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	13. Innocent Times

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Twelve – Innocent Times_

"Your mother is nice."

Ventus looked up at Aqua as she walked into the kitchen. It was early in the morning, but he felt wide-awake and surprisingly at ease. Then again, he was home, and he always felt more relaxed when he was there. He hadn't even bothered putting on his armour again, instead settling for a white shirt and black shorts.

"She is great, isn't she?" he said as he slid his glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from one hand to the other. "A little strict and proper at times, but still great."

"Well that was how she was raised, wasn't it? Just like you were as a child," she said as she took a seat across from him.

He sighed and said, "I'm sorry I never told you or Terra. I never even told Master Eraqus that part. As far as he knew, I was just another kid from Twilight's Destiny. I never wanted anyone to know about Sora either, just in case."

"I don't blame you," Aqua said with a shake of her head. "Not in the least. You made a judgment call that you thought was best, and you know, judging from the fact that not even Terra and I knew about Sora or your mother, it was working. Not even the Master can find this place unless you're with him. Maybe it's a bit of Kingdom Hearts that's left here trying to protect you all."

He smiled a bit and said, "Maybe. When did you get up this morning?"

"Early. I went for a run. It's really nice here. Terra was already up when I got up, but I don't think he slept any. I saw him on the beach, but I have a feeling that he wants to be alone."

She had slept in the guest room while Terra had reluctantly taken the couch. It had been a bit of a struggle to get their friend to stay at the house with them, and to be honest, Ventus wasn't surprised at his reaction. He really couldn't blame him, because it wasn't generally an acceptable practice for someone who was going to kidnap a kid to stay in the same house as him or her afterwards.

Ventus, after everything had calmed down, knew that Terra had good intentions, and he also knew that he wasn't going to turn around and try to take Sora, or anyone else for that matter, again. It was only Ventus' assurance that everything would be okay and that it was only a place to sleep since it was supposed to storm that night. He couldn't say he was all that surprised to know that Terra had left already. He probably wouldn't be coming back to the house. In a way, Ventus was glad that Terra was gone already. He was willing to forgive Terra, but he was still bitter.

There was a sudden bang upstairs, causing both of them to look up in interest. The sound of running was heard across the ceiling and to the stairs, where they heard a crash before more running. Then little Sora appeared in the room, his blue pajamas wrinkled and twisted. He grinned broadly when he saw Ventus sitting there, but then his eyes went wide when they landed on Aqua.

He shuffled from foot to foot, his cheeks turning pink as he shyly said, "Hi."

Aqua smiled and turned on the chair to face him. "Hi Sora. My name's Aqua, I'm a friend of Ven's."

Sora smiled shyly as she glanced up at her through his messy bangs and blurted out, "You're pretty."

She laughed at this and said, "And you're just too cute." Then, surprising her, the little boy rushed over and hugged her legs. She put her hand on the top of his head and he looked up at her with a brilliant smile, but his blush was still there.

"Thank you for saving me from that man. You helped Venny," Sora said, staring at her with only what could be described as adoring eyes.

Aqua smiled at this and helped the little bit climb into her lap, hugging him as he happily hugged her back. She glanced over his hair at Ven and said, "Your little brother has more moves than you."

"You just say that because he's small and girls like mini things for some reason," Ventus replied, taking a sip on his drink.

"Not everything," Sora said suddenly as he played with Aqua's hair in fascination. He had never seen blue hair exactly like hers before. Sure, Ms. Hana had really dark blue hair, but it was almost black. Aqua had really interesting hair.

Ventus, with all the grace and poise and a drunk college student, choked on his orange juice, some of it coming out of his nose as he coughed violently. Aqua erupted into a fit of laughter, and Sora had no clue why they were acting funny.

"What? Selphie likes big sand castles."

That was too much for Aqua, who was actually starting to tear up from her laughter, and that was how Ayame Hikari found them a few minutes later. Ventus looking like he nearly had a heart attack, Aqua in hysterics, and Sora very confused.

"Where's your other friend?" the woman asked as she went around the kitchen to make some breakfast.

"He's a real go-getter," Ventus explained. "He probably already left Destiny Islands. It's just the way he is."

Ayame nodded her head before looking at Aqua and said, "It seems Sora is quite taken with you."

"Look at her hair mommy," Sora said excitedly. "It's cool. Aqua's really pretty."

"Yes, she is," his mother agreed. "Oh to be young and pretty again."

Sora made a face at this. "But you're the prettiest person I've ever met in all of everything mommy."

"Aww, thank you sweetie," Ayame said with a grin. "Do you want chocolate chips in your pancakes?"

Sora's happy cry of 'pancakes' was enough to give all of them the answer. Aqua looked over at her younger friend and said, "He really is smoother than you. What happened to you? I bet he's going to have a permanent girlfriend when he's your age while having to fight other girls off."

Ventus rolled his eyes. "He's also not going to be training to use a powerful weapon, so maybe."

Aqua didn't say anything to this, because Sora started babbling about something that had happened the week before, but he didn't move off of Aqua's lap, seemingly very comfortable there. Ventus didn't like the look that was on her face though. He would have to talk to her about it later.

**VVVVVVV**

Talking to Aqua without Sora or his mother around proved to be a nearly impossible feat. The little boy was so excited to finally have his older brother home that he wanted to be with him at nearly all times. He insisted on playing with his toys, going outside into the yard, running, laughing and so many other things.

Ventus couldn't lie, he had a lot of fun. It was the first time in so long that he could just break free and act like a spontaneous kid. As a child, he grew up in a very stern and controlling environment, so he had never acted quite as free-spirited as his little brother.

One highlight though had been that Sora's adorableness influenced Aqua as well. The young woman couldn't turn down the small boy's big, blue, pleading eyes.

Aqua let out a surprised scream as Ventus helped Sora pour a bucket of ice-cold water over her head. They had hid up in the tree until she had carefully moved by, looking for them but not expecting them to be up in a tree like a pair of monkey siblings.

She stared at her friend for a moment before chasing the two boys around, laughing hysterically and glad to be free of responsibility, if only for a moment.

"Traitor!" Ventus cried out to his little brother, who had sided with Aqua, sitting on Ventus' back while she poured water on him.

"I guess your brother just likes me more," she joked before dousing him with the hose.

Finally, he got his chance to actually sit down and talk to Aqua when Sora went up to his room for a nap. Many four-year-olds didn't take naps or fought against it, but not Sora. He was quite content to lay in the warm sunlight that came through his window and sleep. He loved it so much that his mother was also forced to wake him up, or he'd sleep through the day and be a rambunctious little monster at night.

Aqua knew what he wanted to talk about the second he cornered her. His mother had gone out to get some groceries at the market, knowing that her younger son would be safe with the two of them there, so there was no chance of her hearing the conversation.

They stared at each other silently before she said, "It's just what you said earlier. About Sora never having to learn to use a Keyblade."

"He won't have to," Ventus interrupted quickly and firmly. "He won't."

"That's the thing Ven, he will," she argued back. "He's born as a natural Keyblade Master. I can feel it. The power in him is greater than anyone else I've ever met, including Masters Eraqus, Yen Sid, and even Xehanort. You won't be able to stop him form summoning the Keyblade. While he might never need the formal training that you and I did, he will need guidance. He'll need someone to explain everything to him. You know as well as I do that creatures are drawn to the Keyblade, but even someone born with the natural ability to use one won't know things like that. His light is so powerful, so you add that in and he'll always be a living target."

"Shut up," Ventus snarled at her. "Just shut up. You don't know anything! You think that just because you're a Master now that—"

"This has nothing to do with that!" Aqua snapped back. "This has to do with me knowing that if Sora isn't at least given some sort of guidance that he will die. I can nearly guarantee it. I know you want him to just be free and happy like he is now, but he won't be able to stay like that. You know that Ven."

He glared at her and said, "My brother will never have to live through this life. This is why I didn't tell you guys about him."

"Ven, his light is too strong. It's why Eraqus kept you hidden all this time. Just like the darkness is drawn to you, it'll be drawn to him."

Ventus ignored her and turned around, storming up the stairs. He slowly pushed open the door to Sora's room and stared at his sleeping brother. He carefully walked into the room, closing the door behind him, and lying on the bed beside his little brother.

Sora mumbled something, cuddling up to his little shark plush more. Ventus sighed and stayed on his back, just staring up at the ceiling. He didn't want his little brother to become a person who couldn't live his life the way he wanted to.

Ventus sighed and closed his eyes, letting himself slip into a troubled slumber.

**VVVVVVV**

Aqua came to a stop on the beach, a surprised look passing across her features. After Ayame had returned home, she had quickly made her way out to the beach. She had a feeling that Ventus needed to be away from her for a little while. She was immensely surprised to see that Terra was still there.

He was sitting on the edge of the beach, staring out into the water with a rather blank look on his face. She walked over to him and sat beside him silently, staring up at the sky.

"Ven okay?" Terra asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. He's not really mad at you. He understands that you meant to do good, but Terra, it is suspicious, isn't it? Who told you that Sora was creating the Unversed?"

"Master Xehanort," he answered reluctantly. He shook his head and said, "I need to find him."

"Why?" Aqua sounded utterly scandalized at this, which surprised Terra a bit.

"Why not?"

"Terra, he set you on a four year old like some attack dog," she said slowly and sternly, her eyes not wavering or showing her true emotions about the topic.

"I have to find him to tell him that he made a mistake," he shot back. "Sora's light really outweighs his darkness so there was truth in what he said. Maybe—maybe we're the ones blind to the whole situation. Maybe Sora is unintentionally creating the Unversed, or even the Endless and we're just blind to the whole thing because he's Ven's brother. Master Xehanort will have an outsider's perspective and—"

"Don't you dare bring him here! Do you know on how many levels that will betray Ven's trust? He's a really forgiving person, yesterday showed that, but bringing someone he doesn't trust here? Someone who told you to kidnap Sora?"

"It must have been a mistake Aqua," Terra snapped at her as he stood up. "I'll go find Master Xehanort to set things straight. You'll see, it's just a huge misunderstanding."

"You had better be sure Terra," she growled back as she pushed herself to her feet as well. "I've been watching you and I know what you've done in all the other worlds."

"Master Eraqus tell you to do that?"

"It doesn't matter if he did or if he didn't. He was right too. You're walking too close to the darkness, and I feel like it's Xehanort's fault."

"It's not. Everything I do is my choice and mine alone," Terra stressed. "I'm not someone's puppet to manipulate. You think I'm sticking up for Master Xehanort too much? Maybe you should look at how you so unwaveringly follow Master Eraqus."

They glared at each other viciously before Terra turned and stalked away. She watched him go and shook her head when she saw him head to the sky. She had half a mind to follow him to make sure that he didn't do anything else, but she decided that she needed to stay there, if only for a little while longer.

**VVVVVVV**

Sora was happily stalking a crab along the beach with a stick, and Ventus sat in the sand, enjoying the warm sunlight while keeping an eye on his rather hyperactive brother. He heard the sound of footsteps coming towards him, and turned around in time to see Aqua walk up and sit beside him. They silently watched the small boy before Ventus said, "Thought you would have left."

"I will be before the day's done," she replied. "The Unversed are still out there, attacking other worlds. They need the Keyblade Bearers to protect them."

"I'm being selfish aren't I?" he asked after a pause. "Wanting to stay here with Sora?"

"Technically you're not even supposed to be traveling the worlds," Aqua said with a smile. "So I don't think it's a huge deal to stay here. Besides, I think you need to be here."

There was another pause between the two before Ventus sighed and flopped onto his back, his hands resting behind his head. "Can you promise me something? Big sister to little brother promise?"

She chuckled at that and said, "Of course."

"What you said earlier," he glanced over at her with a forlorn expression, "I know it has to happen. I know Sora needs training or guidance or something. I was just, so angry at the thought, I was—"

"Being a good big brother," she interrupted.

Ventus smiled slightly at this before his serious expression came back and he asked, "Will you do it?"

"Will I do what?"

"Guide him, train him," he asked, sitting back up and staring at his brother, who had abandoned the quest for the crab and was now busy drawing in the wet sand with his stick. "Someone strong is going to have to do it, and it won't be me. Terra—I don't think he'd be any good training Sora. I'm not asking you to take him as an apprentice, because he'll never truly be an apprentice, but just do what you can to point him in the right direction?"

Aqua smiled at this and nodded. "I'll do what I can. I promise."

"Done!"

They both looked around as Sora dropped his stick and stood with his hands on his hips, proudly staring at the masterpiece that he had created in the sand. He glanced around at them and said, "Aqua, Venny, come see!"

Both of the Keyblade Wielders had to laugh at this and got up to go and see what he had drawn in the sand before it vanished into the waves. Ventus ruffled his brother's hair and asked, "People huh? Good job buddy." They were barely recognizable as people, but that wasn't the point.

"Not just people," Sora seemed utterly disgusted by this for some reason. "That's me there, and Riku. That' an Ori, but that's Nami." He then pointed at the one directly beside him, his cheeks flushing a bit. "That's Kairi. She's prettier than Aqua and mommy put together."

Aqua's head jerked around at this, her eyes widening as a small voice rang through her head.

"_Besides, I'm going to ma-ee Sowa."_

"Oh my god," Aqua whispered.

"_Sowa's weal though." _

"Sora, how do you know Kairi?" she asked him quickly.

Sora looked around at her and said, "I sees her when I sleep."

Ventus caught her confused look but he didn't say anything, instead pointing to the last figure. "Who's that?"

Sora squinted at it and said, "Well—me…I think."

"You? I thought the other one was you?"

This seemed to confuse the younger boy, whose eyes suddenly welled with tears. He put his hand over his heart and said, "He's me too. Me in here." Sora closed his eyes. "R—rocks? No, that's not right. Rex? No. Rox—Roxas. His name is Roxas."

Ventus looked like he was about to faint. His hand was shaking, and he didn't seem to know what to say at this. Aqua caught his reaction, frowned and said, "Hey Sora, how about we head inside and make milkshakes?"

His teary eyes were instantly gone. "Yay milkshakes!"

**VVVVVVV**

Sora was distracted by an animated movie when Aqua asked Ventus, "Roxas was his brother, right? His twin?"

Ventus nodded and said, "We never told him. There's no proof he ever existed. Most people on Destiny Islands don't even remember Twilight's Destiny so they couldn't have told him. I just—I don't know."

"He has a really special heart Ven," she said thoughtfully. "It connects so easy with others. I have no doubt that somehow, his heart knows that he had a twin, and I think—I think it's connecting to someone else without ever having met them."

"Who?" he was visibly startled at this.

"Kairi. She's a real little girl I met. Not just that, she's been having dreams of someone named Sora. I never—it's been so hectic here that it never clicked in my head. It can't be a coincidence that he knows about Kairi and her cousin Naminé, and they both know about him."

Ventus nodded his head. "And that he has a slight idea about Roxas too."

There was a heavy silence between them before Aqua got up and said, "I have to get going. There are a lot of people out there who need my help."

"That sounds conceded," Ventus joked. "You sure you don't want to wait one more night? Mom wouldn't care. I think she's already signed you up as the daughter she never got. You'll be my official older sister before the end of the week at this rate."

Aqua laughed and said, "I have to go."

"You leave?"

She looked down at Sora, who was now standing in front of her with wide eyes. She knelt down in front of him and said, "I have to go help stop a bad man. Ven will be here to keep you safe though. Who knows, maybe I'll go and visit Kairi too."

A huge smile appeared on his face as he suddenly rushed over to his toy boy and pulled something out. He walked back over to Aqua and said, "Can you give Kairi this?" He handed her a long, thin shell, and his cheeks turned a bright pink colour.

"Of course I can," Aqua said with a laugh and gave him a hug. She felt like he was trying to squeeze her in order to cause an injury that would force her to stay longer. She let go of him and said, "You be good for your mother and brother."

"Okay Aqua," Sora replied, a big grin on his face.

"You be good too Ven," she said while ruffling his hair. "You're both my little brothers now, so you're not allowed to get into trouble."

"Oh we probably will, but not too much, right Sora?" Ventus asked with a laugh. Sora just grinned up at him.

"Tell your mom I said thank you, but I couldn't stay any longer. And Ven? We'll find out what's going on. I promise."

He nodded his head, knowing what she was referring. He and Sora walked out onto the porch as she left, watching her go.

"Aqua come back, right?" Sora asked his older brother curiously.

"Yeah. Don't worry, everything's going to be fine. I promise."

**VVVVVVV**

**Author's Note**

I know it may have looked like I was leaning towards an Aqua/Ven thing here, so that's why I had to bluntly state the whole brother and sister thing. After playing BBS, I came to the conclusion that they saw each other as siblings and nothing more. I just wanted to stress that again.

Yes, Sora has a kiddie crush on Aqua. I had to write it in. It was just too cute.

I bet some people can probably guess where I'm going with this based on both the original and by BBS. People always did say that thirteen was an unlucky number, and I'm not counting the prologue for when shit hits the fan.

Oh wait…that's the next chapter. Some people want to see if I can do Vanitas' character justice? Challenge accepted.

That's one of my newest pet peeves with Kingdom Hearts fanfiction. People are like 'Well we'll call Vanitas 'Van' and just make him a bit edgier or misunderstood'. No, just no. Argue with me about Organization 13, but you cannot argue with me that Vanitas is good in any way.

Once again, thank you to everyone who reviewed! That includes Twilight Cardmisstress, Jad826, Trainalf, Shadowfire2397, Shire Folk, Joahikim, CheshireGiraffe, and Dark Impetus!

Just so everyone remembers, the original had 16 chapters, give or take, but there are more in this one. Still, it should tell you that we're getting to the main point of the story, and when we get to the end, everyone will see WHY it was 100 percent necessary to write the Final Mix for this one.

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	14. Ventus

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Thirteen - Ventus_

Ventus came to the conclusion that he was actually starting to develop cabin fever, or maybe it was a real fever, he couldn't tell. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem when he was at home, because he would wander around the islands, see the sights, relax, and so on. Now though, he had a mission. He needed to make sure that his brother stayed safe. He knew that if something did happen, his mother wouldn't let Sora go without a fight, it wasn't in her blood to just stand aside and do nothing, so he supposed that he was protecting her as well.

He was poking at his cereal, a bored expression on his face as he leaned on the table. Maybe he was a little too used to constant training, obstacle courses, and mind-boggling readings. The normal life was just so boring.

His eyes slid to Sora, who was uncharacteristically quiet. He seemed to be mocking Ventus, poking at his cereal and not eating it.

Ayame returned to the kitchen, having gone to freshen up for the day, and put her hands on her hips. "Did I put cyanide in the milk?"

Ventus cracked a grin and said, "Just a little bored, that's all. How about you Sor?"

The little boy glanced over at Ventus, a frown on his face, before he reluctantly turned to his mother and said, "My belly feels icky mommy."

"I knew you were being too quiet this morning," she said, kneeling in front of Sora and placing a hand on his forehead. "Hmm, a bit of a fever I think. Come here, I'll get you some medicine and you can sleep more."

"No needles." Sora was deathly afraid of needles, even more than many other children his age. They could cry at the thought of a needle, he would nearly have a panic attack.

"Well, if you take the medicine, then you won't need a needle. How does that sound?"

Sora nodded his head as she picked him up. He rested his head against her shoulder, his eyes drooping sleepily. "I want Bubbles mommy." His mother didn't reply, instead just carrying her small son up to his room.

Ventus watched them leave with worry, but he didn't rush after them. He knew from experience that if people crowded Sora when he was sick, he tended to panic a little, thinking that he was sicker than he really was. Then again, most children tended to do that.

His mother came back downstairs after a little while, a frown on her face. By this time, Ventus had put his dishes away and was sitting at the table while nervously tapping his fingers against the wooden surface.

"Is he okay?" Ventus asked his mother.

She nodded her head and said, "He fell asleep pretty quickly. I can't say I'm all that surprised. The flu has been running through the schools lately, and Riku was sick a few days ago. He's going to be awfully cranky when he gets up though."

Ventus sighed and said, "Is there anything you need?"

"What I want is for you to get out. Go have some fun and relax on the beach. Sora won't really care. He's just like you when you were sick. You never wanted anyone else but me around. I know you want to keep Sora safe, but a little time to relax won't hurt."

A few days ago, Ventus had pulled his mother aside and told her exactly what was happening. He told her about how someone was looking for Sora for some reason, and they weren't friendly. That's why he was there now. She had been all worried expression and the uncertain tears, before she raged at whoever it was that threatened her baby. When his mother was angry, she frightened everyone. Ventus was sure that when she got mad, she wrestles Great Whites for fun, and wins.

"You sure?" Ventus asked her. He felt the need to stay home with them, but at the same time, he desperately wanted to go out around the town.

Ayame smiled and said, "Go on Ven. Everything will be fine. You don't want to be here when he wakes up, feeling all sick and cranky. You know how whiney and dramatic he can be."

He smiled broadly, nodded and said, "Thanks mom."

She laughed a bit, watching him to rush around to get ready to leave the house. Once he was out of sight she frowned, shook her head and went to get a thermometer and some medicine. She had a sick child to deal with.

**VVVVVV**

If there was one thing Ventus loved more than taking a nap, it was taking a nap on the beach. He never strayed too far to the water, because he had learned that waking up to a jellyfish or a crab at your feet wasn't a pleasant feeling. He was just thankful that there were no species of poisonous jellyfish around. Though there were some pretty big sharks. Like he said before though, he was positive his mother could take a shark.

He loved the feeling of the warm sun on his skin and the light breeze going through his hair. He would just stretch out on the beach and sleep peacefully until something woke him up.

Suddenly, an ice-cold feeling passed through him. His cerulean eyes snapped open and he jerked up quickly, sand flying around him. Something was wrong.

He lunged to his feet and tore off down the beach, ignoring the people that looked at him oddly. To the people, he was just the strange boy that showed up every once and a while.

He ran as fast as he could through the twisted streets, and then he skidded to a stop.

There were police cars surrounding his house, and his little brother's window was completely smashed in, as was part of the house. He felt his stomach drop before he ran to his house in time to see his mother being pulled into an ambulance.

"Mom!" he cried out, rushing forward. One of the cops stopped him, but he struggled a bit.

"Ventus," Ayame said weakly. "Please, my son…"

"Let him through," one of the men said, and the huge cop let go of his arm. He rushed into the ambulance and to his mother's side.

She let out a sob and said, "He's gone. Sora. He's gone. It happened so fast. I tried to fight him off but—my baby…"

Ventus choked a bit and said, "It'll be okay mom. I'll find him."

"Please Ven. Please. I—it was a boy. With a mask," she managed to breath out before falling unconscious.

Ventus felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end (if it already wasn't). Vanitas.

"Sora," he whispered.

**VVVVVV**

The wall where Sora's window had once been was destroyed, glass, wood, and so many other things strewn across the room. Sora's bed had blood on in, and there was some blood splattered on the wall. Ventus felt a bit of pride rush through him, knowing that the stain on the wall was caused by his mother striking Vanitas. The blood on the floor though, that was Sora's. He was hurt.

For a moment, Ventus saw his mother holding an injured infant and squeezed his eyes tightly. He would have sworn that he felt fear pass through him, and he just knew that it was from Sora. He took a small bit of comfort, knowing that he was at least alive.

Then again, Vanitas had said that Sora was useful for something. He didn't seem like the type of person to destroy something that he could use to his advantage.

He needed to get out of the house. There were no clues there, only bad memories. In his normal clothes and armour, he made his way towards the beach. He didn't need a whole bunch of people to see him take off into the sky on his Keyblade Glider. All the parents were paranoid, protecting their little children, because nothing like this had happened before. If they saw him leave the world they might get suspicious or even more paranoid that something was coming to take all of their children one by one.

He made his way to the play island and stared at the waves, feeling sick to his stomach. He only had one mission: protect his brother, and he had failed miserably at it. What kind of Keyblade Bearer was he if he couldn't protect his own family? He could feel hot tears prickling at the back of his eyes and he summoned his Keyblade. He slammed it into the ground over and over again, the sand flying up as he did. He finally slumped to his knees, gripping the weapon so tightly that his hand was white and shaking.

"Pathetic."

Ventus' eyes shot open and he jumped up, snapping around so quickly that he felt his neck crack unpleasantly. Anger flashed through him as he saw the relaxed figure of Vanitas standing on the wooden bridge that led to the little islet with the paopu tree.

"You bastard!" Ventus snarled at him. "Where's Sora?"

"So you can feel hatred and anger, even with only light in you, interesting."

"How did you find this place? What did you do with my brother?"

"You showed me this place," Vanitas answered easily. "All I had to do was wait for you to find it."

Ventus' anger lessened a bit, replaced by confusion instead, and he said, "What? What are you talking about?"

"You haven't figured it out yet? Even after everyone's been telling you that the fact that you're heart is pure light is impossible. You're nothing special Ventus. You were marked by a Keyblade Master, a woman, when you were real young. Then, Master Xehanort came along and trained you. Remember that?"

Ventus felt a wave of pain suddenly pass through him, causing him to drop his Keyblade and fall back to his knees. He saw flashes in front of his eyes. He saw his mother about to be attacked by a creature, him summoning his Keyblade, Master Xehanort appearing for the first time, training with him, and then one day he tried to force the darkness in him to the surface but he couldn't do it so instead he—

"That's why I couldn't wake up," Ventus muttered. His eyes opened again and he looked up at Vanitas. "He created you. Sora, he saved me."

"When darkness and light of equal power clash the χ-Blade will appear. You're almost strong enough to fulfill your purpose. Don't tell me you won't fight me. I won't believe that. I have something that's too important to you."

"My brother has nothing to do with this!"

"He has everything to do with this, idiot."

"Where is he?"

Vanitas laughed hysterically and said, "You still need more work, but you're almost there. Come and find me, and maybe your brother will live. Kid wasn't looking too good."

"No!" Ventus yelled and tried to rush forward, but Vanitas was gone. He took a deep breath before saying, "Hang on Sora, I'm coming, I promise." He threw his Keyblade into the air and pressed on his shoulder armour to encase himself in his full body armour. He jumped on the Keyblade Glider and flew as quickly as he could away from the world.

**VVVVVV**

Ventus always thought that he had reached his limit when it came to how fast he could go, but he was certain that he had pushed past his last record. It didn't really matter though, as long as it was fast.

He wasn't exactly sure where he was heading, but his heart was urging him to go there. He flew through clouds of dust and particles, rushing as quickly as he could by worlds, some familiar and some not. He had no time to visit other places to see old friends. He needed to get somewhere as fast as he could.

Ventus wasn't exactly sure how long he had been flying by the time the world started tapering out, few and far in between. His legs and arms were stiff from standing in basically one position, and he was sure that it would hold him back some in a fight, but he kept going. He was thirsty and hunger, but there were more important things out there than him.

Suddenly, a world loomed in the distance, and a pang of recognition passed through him. He had seen that dry, sandy world before. It was the place where he had first fought Vanitas, and where he had first met Mickey.

Cautiously, Ventus approached the world and landed. His armour vanished, and he hadn't realized how constricted that it made him feel after a long time until it was gone. He didn't have any water on him, so he drank back a potion. It turned out to be a good decision on part because his arms and legs felt better, but now he had the disgusting taste in his mouth.

Making sure to stay aware of his surroundings, Ventus began to walk forward. There didn't seem to be a living thing there. Not even an Unversed or one of those extremely elusive Endless.

Suddenly though, he felt the hair stand on his neck and, in a quick movement, he summoned his Keyblade and whipped around, ready to either fight or defend himself. What he saw made him pause and tense at the exact same time.

Standing in front of him, hunched over with his hands behind his back and a smug, knowing grin on his face, was Master Xehanort.

"You," Ventus said slowly, rage suddenly coursing through him. "This is all your fault!"

Xehanort chuckled, inquiring exactly what the youth was referring to. Instead, he said, "Admittedly yes, much of this is my design. More than you could know. Once I realized that you were not the destined child I thought perhaps that your darkness might have been suitable for my purposes. Unfortunately that was a wish that was ignored so I extracted your darkness from you completely. Fortunately, your brother's power saved you, saving me from needing to find a perfect vessel of light. Both you and your brother were impossible to reach in your wretched world, so I did what was necessary to get you both out."

His blue eyes widened with realization. "You did—the Endless…"

"Though they are far from perfect yet, I predict I will be able to create Endless that you will think are completely normal people. That is not the point yet though. You are almost ready now, but there is still some knowledge you need before you can accept your destiny. You're starting to remember. You had to lose in order to find. Reclaim the part that left you once you do."

"It's your fault that Roxas—my dad—it was all you." Ventus blinked back his tears of frustration and anger, turning his attention to the matter that he could change. "Where is my brother? What did you do with Sora? I know you sent Vanitas and Terra after him."

"He is in a place for safe keeping. He is much too powerful to leave free. His power may even be necessary. It's most certainly the reason that Eraqus is looking for him."

"Master Eraqus? What does he have to do with this?"

Xehanort smirked darkly. "He has known about this for quite some time, I'm afraid. Why do you think that he urged Aqua to bring you home? Why do you think that he too wishes to find Sora so desperately? You will not see your brother again. Eraqus will not allow it, knowing what he is, and what you are."

"That's a lie!" Ventus snapped at him, trying to defend his Master.

"Is it? Has he not kept you prisoner all this time without even knowing the truth? Has he not kept you controlled and sheltered?"

Ventus stared at Xehanort with wide eyes. He couldn't deny any of that, he knew he couldn't. He felt his stomach sinking as he realized that maybe Xehanort was right. After all, he had revealed his true nature now, what else did he have to hide? Still, he desperately felt the need to justify Eraqus' actions, but he found that he couldn't. Instead, he tried to change the conversation slightly. "Aqua and Terra would never just let it happen!"

"Aqua is loyal to a fault and Terra…there are bigger plans for Terra."

"You told him to find Sora," Ventus said slowly. "Why?" He doubted that Xehanort would tell him, and was slightly surprised when the man continued to talk.

"I had hoped that the urgency would send you looking for him. There was, of course, more to it then that, but that would be telling now, wouldn't it? Go seek out Eraqus, he has the answers you seek."

"No!" He shook his head violently and took a step forward. "I just want my brother back! I know you know where he is!"

"You are not ready yet."

Xehanort moved his hand, and Ventus felt himself flying into the air with a sudden yell. He was pulled into a vortex, and the next thing he knew, he was floating in space.

He quickly summoned his Keyblade Glider and thought about going back to the world Xehanort had just thrown him from, but realized that it would be useless. If he needed answers to find his brother, he was going to get the answers.

He started flying quickly towards Land of Departure, not noticing Terra heading in the opposite direction.

**VVVVVV**

**Author's Note**

I have good news and awesome news.

Good news: This story only has 25 chapters including the Prologue and the Epilogue, and I'm almost done writing them all. I skipped around a bit, because I wrote most of chapter 23 a while ago, and I wrote the ending, but I still need to finish 22 and part of 23. What does this mean for all of you? It means I'm going to be finished writing the story soon, so that means much quicker updates.

Awesome news: I've already started writing Shadows of Reality: Final Mix, so pretty much the day this fic is done, I can post that one's first chapter. So look for a double update on that day.

I think that going fro 17 chapters to 25 makes for a pretty good rewrite, don't you?

I thank everyone who reviewed! It really does motivate me! I mean, yeah I'd update even if I didn't get them, but when I get reviews I tend to update faster because I know people actually care.

I mean, I could be a total douche and just not publish anything for weeks at a tie, even the whole story is almost done. You guys stop me from doing that though!

So thank you to: herald of disaster, Jad826, Shadowfire2397, Oracle's Song, Joahikim, Shire Folk, 16afoster, Shifuni, and Trainalf!

I hope I did Vanitas a little bit of justice in this. He's definitely is more important in the upcoming chapters. Even more than Xehanort.

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	15. Destruction Of Land Of Departure

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Fourteen – Destruction Of Land Of Departure_

With Land of Departure looming in front of him, Ventus finally hesitated in running in headfirst. He knew most of the facts now, and he understood what was happening, though he was still a little bit in the dark as to exactly why. Then again, the only one who could truly understand the madness was the madness maker, Xehanort himself.

Master Eraqus was a kind man, that much Ventus was certain of, but he was blinding by the light as much as Xehanort was blinded by the darkness. He had always been accepting of Ventus, but now the blond boy could truly see how wary he was at the same time.

He took a deep breath and made he decision. He needed to know if there was anything that his Master wasn't telling him, anything else that could hurt his brother, his friends, anyone.

Ventus urged his Keyblade Glider forward and soon the very family castle high up in the mountains came into view. He set down on the ground, his Glider and his armour vanishing as he looked up at the castle with a hesitant expression. Willing himself forward, Ventus walked only a few feet before hesitating again. His gut clenched nervously as he looked down towards his feet. He had the strong feeling that he was going to like what he was going to hear.

He took a step forward and looked up, only to stop in his tracks, a surprised look etching across his face. Master Eraqus was making his way towards him, a smile across his old face.

"Ventus," Eraqus said as he approached, "you're alone. I thought Aqua would—well, what matters is that you're home." He put his hands on Ventus' shoulder like a father would do to his son, or at least, that's what Ventus envisioned. His father had always been too busy to really deal with him. "You don't belong outside this world yet. You need to stay here where you can learn—"

"In your prison?" Ventus interrupted, his rage suddenly starting to bubble up in him.

"What?" Eraqus was visibly startled by this.

Ventus pushed him away and took a step back, his frustrations exploding within him. "That's your excuse to keep me imprisoned here, isn't it? You keep me away from my brother, from my mother, even when we're not doing anything here. You don't know what I am, how I don't have any darkness in me, or what I can do, and that scares you. So you keep me locked up here!"

Eraqus was silently for a moment before he asked, "What did you hear?"

"I know what I am, what's I'm supposed to be. Some kind of Key—no, not a Keyblade. χ -Blade. I know what Sora is too, and I know that you know what he is, what I am. You're going to take him away from me, from my mom. If you keep me this trapped here when you're not even sure what I really am, what will you do to someone you know is important? Someone who will change everything?"

There was a heavy silence before Eraqus spoke. "You don't understand, Ventus. There is too much at stake. For you to even be in the same place as your brother…that's far too dangerous now. You'll be giving Xehanort two key pieces to his two puzzle. I cannot allow it."

"Master, he already has Sora. He said that you—"

If Eraqus was surprised by this news, then he didn't show it. Suddenly it occurred to Ventus that if Sora wasn't removed from his home by someone else, then Eraqus would have never been able to find him either. He barely listened to his Master speaking, so lost in his own thoughts.

"I will find him, do not worry about that. I cannot let his weapon go though. I had the chance to stop him, and I couldn't do it." Eraqus suddenly summoned his Master Keeper Keyblade. "But I will not fail again."

Ventus took a step back, surprised. "Master, what are you—"

"The χ -Blade has no place in this or any world. Even if, in theory, Sora can safely control its powers, it is still far too dangerous. Xehanort has made his purpose clear, and I am left with no choice. I will find your brother, take that as a small ease of mind. Forgive me, but you must exist no more."

Ventus watched the powerful chains of light shoot towards him and he blocked his face instinctively, but he didn't try to move. He was too stunned b y the turn of events to even consider trying to get away.

There was a loud clang of metal in front of him, and he hear a distinctive voice yell, "Ven!" His eye shot open and he saw a tall figure standing in front of him.

"Terra?"

Terra ignored him as his armour vanished and he stared at Master Eraqus. "Master, Have you gone mad?"

Eraqus didn't loosen his grip on his Keyblade for an instant. "Terra, there are bigger things in the work here than you understand. I command you to step aside."

"No!" he snapped back, his tone of voice clearly suggesting that he thought the man was insane. He had his arm stretched out to keep Ventus back, his Earthshaker Keyblade grasped tightly in hand.

"You will not heed your Master?"

"No, I won't! My friends—no!"

Eraqus stared at them both before he says, "You both understand nothing. Why do all my attempts to reach you fail?" A lone tear streaked down his cheek. "There is far too much at stake. If you don't have it in your heart to obey, then you will have to share Ventus' fate."

Then, Master Eraqus attacked and Terra fought back viciously.

Ventus fell to his knees as he silently watched the scene unfolding in front of him. He realized that, though it was painful to think of, Master Eraqus was right. If he didn't exist anymore, Xehanort would not be able to form the χ -Blade, at least not right away, so that they could prepare more to fight against him. With the threat of the χ -Blade out of thought for a little while, Eraqus could focus on rescuing Sora, and then the boy would be safe and hidden away.

He felt the breath catch in his throat painfully before he yelled, "Terra! Stop! He's right, so just—"

"Shut up!" Terra snapped back.

There was a powerful blast of energy and both of them were thrown backwards. Ventus flipped on the ground uncomfortably, his head impacting the stone, causing him to see spots as he struggled to stay conscious. He felt Terra hauling him off of the ground under his arm, and then he felt something dark and cold. He struggled to open his eyes again, and noticed that a dark aura was beginning to surround his friend.

"You may be my Master," Terra said calmly, "but I will not let you hurt my friends."

"Has the darkness taken you Terra?" Eraqus yelled at him, his anger apparent.

"No. I've taken it."

The next thing Ventus knew, he was thrown backwards again, this time by Terra. As he looked up, he realized that he had been thrown into some kind of portal that was rapidly closing.

He watched Terra, surrounding in darkness, and Eraqus, surrounded in light, clash, and yelled out, "Wait! Terra!"

Then the bright light suddenly blinded him before he lost consciousness.

**VVVVVV**

Sora grinned at him happily, running across the beach.

"Come on Venny! Can't catch me!"

Ventus laughed at his brother, but as he tried to take a step forward, it was like someone had put a black and white filter over everything.

"Sora!" he called out to his brother, who skidded to a stop and looked back at him with curious eyes. Then a dark figure appeared behind the boy. "Look out!"

Sora whipped around and let out a cry of surprise as she scrambled to get away from Vanitas. The dark boy had him in a crushing grip, dragging him away.

"Sora!" Ventus yelled as he started to run at his brother.

The small boy struggled and kicked at his kidnapper, but he was simply a small annoyance to the much larger boy.

Sora looked back at Ventus and cried out, "Venny! Venny help!"

There was a much deeper chuckle and Vanitas said, "Yeah 'Venny', don't you want to help him?"

There was a flash, almost like watching an old film and he saw his home being torn apart, he saw his father and brother dying, he saw his mother cradling the injured Sora, he saw himself holding his stillborn brother, him in a coma, Xehanort training him, the Keyblade first appearing.

Then everything once again went black.

**VVVVVV**

Ventus groaned and he slowly blinked open his eyes. His entire body ached, but at the same time he could feel the ache starting to vanish. Someone must have performed a cure spell or had given him a potion recently. He stared up at the ceiling above him with confusion, staring at the unfamiliar blue roof. He couldn't remember ever seeing a room like this one before.

Suddenly, everything that had happened came rushing back to him. He shot up off of the bed that he was laying on, and a wave of pain rushed through him, causing him to groan and fall back again.

"Hey fellers! Ven's awake!"

The voice startled him and he looked around. Blinking with surprise, he said, "Goofy?"

The anthropomorphic dog smiled and nodded and said, "Gosh, I'm glad yer awake Ven. I was beginning ta think that you'd never wake up."

Ventus was about to reply when he heard footsteps rushing in the hall. A second later both Donald and Mickey came rushing through the door and to the bed.

"Thank goodness!" Donald cried out, folding his arms in front of him. "We were getting worried!" For some reason, Ventus fell like the duck was mentally scolding him.

Mickey's voice pulled him away from Donald's glare as he asked, "What happened Ven? You just…appeared out of nowhere. We've been trying to wake you up, but you wouldn't move. We were just relieved that you were still breathing."

"I—how long have I been out?" he asked, sitting up all the way again and slinging his feet over the side of the bed. He didn't stand up just yet though, wanting to give his body the chance to get over the aches and pains going through him.

"Gosh," Mickey said, a thoughtful but worried expression on his face, "about a day, I think."

Ventus' mouth opened and closed several times from shock. He wanted to ask a question, but he couldn't think of what exactly it was he wanted to communicate. Suddenly, the image of Master Eraqus and Terra fighting each other pushed itself to the front of his mind.

His cerulean eyes widened and he said, "No…Terra…he saved me but—a whole day? You're sure?"

"Yes," Mickey answered. "What happened Ven?"

Before he could answer, Yen Sid stepped into the room. Though Ventus had the feeling that the old man always looked cold, stern and serious, there was something about his expression that made his insides curl unpleasantly.

"Master," Ventus said to him quickly, "I need to get back home. I—I need to see—to fix something that I should have tried harder to fix when I was there."

Yen Sid was quiet for a moment before he said, "Aside from the home where your mother waits for you and your brother to return, you have no home to return to Ventus."

"What? I don't understand," Ventus asked, confusion passing over his face.

Yen Sid sighed and looked almost sad as he said, "It comes with a heavy heart that I must inform you that Land of Departure is no more."

"What?" he asked slowly, the words not sinking in.

"It has falling to the darkness," Yen Sid explained. "Master Eraqus too has fallen with the world."

Ventus suddenly felt like something was choking him. His heart was hammering and he was finding it hard to breathe. Land of Departure was gone. It must have happened either when Terra and Eraqus were fighting, or just after. He couldn't help but feel responsible though.

"This is all my fault," he choked out, feeling a few hot tears on his face. "I—I should have tried harder to stop Master Eraqus and Terra from fighting. I should—I should have never went there. Xehanort…he knew this would happen…that was probably why he sent me there."

"Ven, what happened?" Mickey asked, playing a worried hand on his friend's slouched shoulder.

He looked over at Mickey and said, "Master Eraqus. He was going to destroy me. He should have destroyed me. Now he's gone, Land of Departure is gone, and Sora—Xehanort still has Sora."

Yen Sid sharply turned to Donald and Goofy, who had been watching in silence, and said, "Perhaps you two could give us a moment alone."

"But—" Donald started to argue, but cut himself off. Yen Sid's tone wasn't a questioning or suggesting one. He was basically telling them to get the hell out, just in nicer terms. "Aww, fine." Casting glances over their shoulders, Donald and Goofy left the room, closing the door behind them. They didn't wander far though, hovering by the door.

"Who's Sora?" Mickey asked.

"My little brother," Ventus said, a small smile on his face that quickly turned into a frown as he remembered the dream he had earlier. "He's the boy everyone has been looking for. The Master said that it's too dangerous for me to exist, especially around Sora." He glanced up at Yen Sid with desperate eyes. "He was going to save him after I was gone. He would have been right. If I'm gone, Xehanort's plans for the χ-Blade will be set back. He could have saved Sora."

"I thought only the royal family of Twilight's Destiny could—oh." The look of realization appeared on Mickey's face.

"Yeah, oh," Ven said with a bitter chuckle.

"Destiny," Yen Sid said, "weaves us paths that we cannot understand. Only after the end can you look back and see how every decision, every moment brought us to our final destination. Destiny does not decide our paths for it, though it does nudge us in the right direction."

"So my destiny is to cause destruction?" Ventus demanded. "I can't live with that. Is that all I was ever meant to be, a weapon?"

"All those who wield a Keyblade are seen as only weapons and not individuals during the darkest of times," Yen Sid explained. "Personal dark times, or universal, it does not matter. You see yourself as the cause of destruction around you. Your past is blurred—"

"No such anymore," Ventus interrupted, resting his elbows on his knees and pressing his forehead into his hands. "I know what I am. I know that Xehanort was the one who started to train me, though he wasn't the one that marked me. Then, he failed to get me to use the darkness, so he took it out all together and Vanitas was created. I remember all of that now. I was nothing more than a lifeless puppet, and then my brothers were born, and Sora connected his new heart to mine to wake me up, to give me a second chance, almost killing himself at the same time. I had two brothers you know, Mickey, they were twins. The younger one died with my father when Twilight's Destiny fell. Vanitas was there that night too. Xehanort even set that up. Sora and I were way to protected in the castle."

Yen Sid and Mickey watched Ventus silently as he took several deep breaths before speaking again, "This entire thing has just been one manipulation after another by Xehanort, hasn't it? Where's my destiny in that?"

"Your destiny, your path, is exactly where you need it to be," Yen Sid spoke sternly. "So it seems that manipulation rules all of you and your friends. The question now is what will you do now that you know? Try to set things right, or let them play out how Xehanort wants it to?"

Ventus looked up suddenly, sitting up straight with an odd look on his face. His mind was racing, his heart was pumping wildly, and he suddenly stood up, a determined look appearing on his face.

"I'll find Sora myself," he said, pumping his fist by his chest. "I'll find him and make sure that he's safe. That'll throw off Xehanort's plan. Once he's safe…only then…" Ventus trailed off, not exactly sure what he wanted to say. Only then could he accept his own destruction, maybe? Or only then could they focus on defeating Xehanort? He wasn't sure.

There was a heavy silence before Mickey suddenly asked, "Do you have and idea of where he is? Sora?"

Ventus thought about it for a moment before saying, "He's not in the Keyblade Graveyard, I'm positive I would have felt him. Still, there, that was when the connection to him felt strongest. I don't really know what that means."

"The Keyblade Graveyard was once a part of Twilight's Destiny." Ventus' head snapped towards Yen Sid with surprise. He remembered Vanitas saying that to him too. "It was as far from the main city as possible while still being on land. A dark, hidden secret."

"The place people feared far beyond the jungle," Ventus said with a nod. "Maybe then, because I could feel him there, maybe he's on one of the other fragments of Twilight's Destiny. There are a few of them though, I know that, but which one? And where are they?

"Search your heart," Yen Sid said to him. "That is where your answers, your destiny, truly lies Ventus. Not in the grasp of some other man, or some higher power."

Ventus let his eyes close and he tried to block everything out. He concentrated on his younger brother, trying to see where he was, or at least get a direction.

Suddenly, an image of a place passed through his mind and his eyes snapped open. He stood up and said, "I know where he is."

"I'm coming with you," Mickey said, the stubbornness lancing through his voice telling Ventus that he wouldn't take no for an answer. "I don't know how I'll get there, but you're not going alone."

Ventus nodded his head and said, "You're a special type of creature, you can move freely in the lanes in-between with only some magic protecting you, I've seen that, so you don't need the protective armour for a short trip. My Keyblade Glider can hold both of us. I was able to carry both Sora and Riku on it, and you're not heavier than both of them combined."

Mickey nodded before turning to Yen Sid. "Master—I—"

Yen Sid held up and hand and said, "Go Mickey. It is what you need to do. There is one small request I have though." Mickey and Ventus both watched on with interest as Yen Sid reached inside of his robe and pulled out the star shard. "Take this with you. Should something go wrong at any point, I do not want you, or anyone you may have with you, to get lost or stranded."

Mickey took the star shard and nodded his head. "Thank you, Master Yen Sid."

Ventus glanced up at the sky and whispered, "Don't worry Sora. We're coming."

**VVVVVV**

**Author's Note**

Yes, the conversation between Ventus, Eraqus and Terra is almost identical to the one from the game. I altered it a bit, but aside from that, I take no credit for coming up with that.

Ventus and Vanitas are interesting. Ventus is the light half, but he visibly gets angry at people. Vanitas, on the other hand, does not. Look at the scenes. He's literally never angry. That's very contradictory to how you'd expect them, but there you go.

Good news is that I will be continuing this pretty quick, steady stream of updates until the end of the story. Why? Because I finished writing it. I can't just post them all at once though because I haven't edited them all. I write for several chapters, then go back and edit before updating so that there's a bit of time since I've last seen the chapter, therefore I'm more likely to notice mistakes. I miss them sometimes though, so if you notice any, don't be afraid to point them out. I don't mind.

Unless they're in author's notes. I really don't care about spelling or grammar in these things unless I spell people's names wrong.

Thank you all for reviewing! Trainalf, Twilight Cardmistress, Shifuni, Joahikim, Jad826, AKAAkira, Shadowfire2397, and NRZWolf 13, you guys are awesome.

Oh, and the next chapter is not the Keyblade Graveyard scene that we've all become accustom too. I'm throwing that continuity from the game out the window for my own purposes.

Something really bad happens in the next chapter though. Just saying.

And for anyone who hasn't checked it out, I have a new one-shot up called Flashback. It's more of a Roxas/Namine one, but there's still lots of Sora/Kairi.

_**Krystal Lily Potter **_


	16. Sinister Sundown

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Fifteen – Sinister Sundown_

Learning how to shift a Keyblade into different forms was the hardest thing that any Keyblade Bearer could attempt to learn. It tended to be towards the end of the lessons when the Master believed that the Apprentice was strong enough to actually perform the task.

Mickey had been at the beginning stages of these lessons with Master Yen Sid when the worlds started to go dark. He could have waited and learned how to transform his Keyblade before leaving, but there was no telling how long that would take. Instead, he had taken one of the other forms of transportation that Yen Sid showed him.

Now that Mickey was flying with Ventus on his Keyblade Glider, he realized that he would definitely have to get those lessons down. It was much better than being pulled to random places without warning and needing to figure out why, usually within a split second of appearing in the new world.

He wasn't about to lie, Mickey was kind of jealous that Ventus seemed to be a natural at transforming his Keyblade. The teenager had explained that he just watched Terra do it and had copied him and it worked. He hadn't known how much effort and practice normally went into that.

"There it is," Ventus said suddenly, and Mickey looked ahead of them. There was a world looming before them, small and broken.

"What's it called?" Mickey asked curiously.

"At home, that specific place was called Crystal Shards. It was outside one part of the city between the ocean and the jungle," Ventus explained. "I never knew the Keyblade Graveyard was there, I thought it was just a desert, but I had the geography down pretty good. All I could basically do was study."

Mickey nodded. Though he desperately wanted to ask questions about the mythical, fallen world, he chose to focus on the task at hand. "And Sora's there?"

"Yeah," Ventus nodded. "I can feel him."

"Then lets go," Mickey urged and they decended towards the world.

**VVVVVV**

Terra was staring up at a large archway before him with a rather dull expression. His mind was reeling, going over everything that had happened. He hadn't meant to do all of the horrible things that he had ended up doing. Still, he felt like a monster.

He heard soft footsteps approaching him, but he didn't look around. He could feel the light, and he knew exactly who it was.

Aqua walked up to him slowly and calmly. She stopped a few feet away from him, and he could see her unreadable expression from the corner of his eye.

"What did you do Terra?" she asked softly, and he was caught off guard by that. He had expected her to lash out at him, but she just seemed so defeated. He didn't like it. He didn't know where to begin with the things that he had done.

Her clam expression wavered and she said, "I was told that the Master was struck down."

Terra really couldn't look at her now. There was a desperate look that he had caught out of the corner of his eye. She wanted him to correct her. She wanted him to say that he hadn't done the horrible things that he had. He couldn't do it.

"Yes, that's right," he said with a nod. He glanced over at her and saw her look down at the ground sadly.

"I was stupid," he explained, "and I helped Xehanort do it. You were right about him. He knew exactly who Sora was all along. The Master—he tried to hurt Ven. I couldn't let that happen. I only fought because I wanted to protect him. Xehanort tricked me again though, he set the whole thing up. Just so he could awaken the darkness inside of me."

She hadn't responded to a thing that he said and was still looking down at the ground. He sighed and continued, acceptance and determination passing through his voice. "You were right about everything all along, Aqua, the Master too. I did need to be watched. I was led astray—but no more."

Aqua shook her head slightly and asked, "What else is darkness, but hate and rage? Xehanort is still manipulating you Terra. He's feeding your darkness by making you fight. He knows that if you continue this path, you'll go astray again. It's what he wants. Tell me—how does that honour our Master's memory, Terra?"

There was silence before Aqua lifted her head up and looked at the arch. "Master Yen Sid said that Ven was here. Mickey is supposed to be with him."

Terra realized that it had probably been Yen Sid who told her about their Master's fall. There never seemed to be a thing that he didn't know. Still, he focused on the situation at hand and asked, "Why?"

"How did you end up here Terra?" she asked him, her stern voice back once again.

"I've been tracking Xehanort," he explained. "It led me here."

She didn't seem surprised by this answer. She nodded her head and said, "Xehanort took Sora."

"What?" This honestly surprised Terra. He had no idea that the little boy had been captured.

Aqua nodded and said, "I think Ven was trying to find him and somehow ended up back home where you found him. Yen Sid told me that Ven thought Sora was here. If you say that you tracked Xehanort here then—"

"There's a good chance that he's right," Terra realized. "Where do you think he is?"

Aqua was about to answer when a loud explosion rocked the area. They looked around to see a plume of dust rising in the distance and Aqua said, "My bet is there."

Terra nodded and they both took off towards the flying debris.

**VVVVVV**

"I see why they call it Crystal Shards," Mickey said as he and Ventus walked through the wide canyons. He was struck by the beautiful crystals and gemstones that littered such a lifeless, dull place.

Ventus nodded and said, "Yeah. They're not normal stones, that's why they're not under ground. They don't need all the heat, pressure and time to form."

Mickey took in their surroundings and asked, "Are you sure he's here?"

"More than sure," the teenager said.

"So we meet again boy," a gravely voice called out. Both Ventus and Mickey spun around to see Master Xehanort standing a few feet away from them, his hands resting behind his back as he stood calmly. "And I see you brought Yen Sid's lone apprentice with you. Curious how he took an apprentice though he no longer utilizes the Keyblade himself."

"Where's Sora?" Ventus demanded, summoning Wayward Wind. "I don't want to hear you monologue about your plans or anything else. I want my brother back!"

"Very well," Xehanort said and stood still. A moment later, a corridor of darkness opened a few feet behind the old man and Vanitas appeared. There, carelessly held under his arm was an unconscious Sora.

Ventus had to keep from crying out when he saw the state his baby brother was in. His face was visibly red from the fever, his breathing was funny, and he had small cuts and bruises all over him.

Mickey made a strangled sound before saying, "He's just a child! How could you hurt him?"

Vanitas just stared in their direction (or at least, his helmet tilted towards them), and he said, "We did nothing to the brat. He struggled and I had to stop him."

Ventus felt anger rising in his body as he took a step forward and yelled, "You bastard! You want to fight me? Bring it. Just leave my brother out of this!"

Vanitas shrugged before saying, "Fine." He then simply let go of Sora, who flopped to the ground, and stepped by him. He summoned his own Keyblade as he made his way to wards Ventus.

"Ven! Wait!" Mickey cried out, but it was too late. Ventus' anger got the best of him and he flew at Vanitas in a rage, slamming his Keyblade into the dark one. Mickey remembered what he had been told and knew that this was exactly what Xehanort wanted. He wanted Ventus and Vanitas to fight to form the χ-Blade.

Mickey wanted to jump in and help Ventus fight, but his eyes locked onto Sora's small, unmoving body on the ground. They came here for a reason, and Ventus would never forgive him if he let the boy get hurt.

He quickly scurried around the clashing boys, and ran towards Sora. Before he could get there though, Xehanort stepped into his path. The old man said nothing; he just stared at him with a smirk.

That was when the Unversed appeared.

Mickey summoned the Star Seeker Keyblade and quickly launched an attack on the creatures closest to him. He needed to reach Sora and to get out of there.

All the while, Xehanort just stood there with a smirk on his face.

"You've improved," Vanitas said as he parried Ventus' strike. "You still need more work though."

"Shut up!" he yelled at him angrily. "You'll regret laying a hand on my brother."

"You know, he is _technically_ my brother too."

Hearing that made Ventus hesitate, and then Vanitas lashed out at him. He managed to dodge out of the way in time, but ended up stumbling over some of the rocks, slicing his arm on a sharp gemstone and cursing. Then he jumped at Vanitas again, hitting him with every ounce of force he could muster.

Vanitas grunted under the power of the attack, and quickly dislodged their Keyblades, jumping out of the way. He used his dark magic, launching a powerful attack at Ventus, who in turn launched a powerful light attack at him.

The two met midair, causing a loud explosion to ring and sending dust everywhere.

None of them noticed Sora slowly stirring. His cerulean eyes opened slowly, and he blinked several times, not understanding what was going on. Some bad man took him and hurt him, and there was another bad man there.

He heard an angry yell and tilted his head to see what was happening. The creepy old man was standing only a few feet away from him, watching everything. There were those creepy monsters that he had seen, but there was a giant mouse fighting them. He didn't question it, because to his four-year-old mind, an oversized mouse fighting monsters was perfectly acceptable.

Sora moved a little more and winced a bit as the man in the helmet came into his field of vision. He had that funny sword with him and he was fighting someone. Sora's eyes widened when he saw who it was.

"Venny," he whispered. Sora stared at his brother in awe. He had a funny sword too. He was also hurt.

Sora pushed himself up a bit, and the old man looked at him. He jerked back a bit when the old man's yellow eyes met his own, cringing a bit.

"Amazing how something so small and insignificant can hold so much power," Xehanort said while staring at him. "You'll do well to pay attention boy."

"Who are you?" Sora asked, sliding himself back a bit. He seemed to realize that he was in a place he didn't recognize, and his eyes welded with fearful tears. "Where are we? Where's mommy?"

"You won't be seeing your mother again boy."

"Yes, he will!"

Xehanort reacted quickly. He summoned his own Keyblade just in time to counter a powerful strike from Terra's. The younger man backed a way a bit and stood between Sora and Xehanort.

The boy was instantly wary, because this person had tried to take him before. But he was fighting with the old man and protecting him, so maybe he wasn't bad. Sora just couldn't be sure.

"You won't hurt him anymore Xehanort," Terra yelled angrily. "I won't let you." He ran at the old man.

"Sora!"

Feeling like he needed to look in about ten different directions at once, Sora turned in yet another direction and saw Aqua rushing towards him.

"Aqua!" he cried out as she came near him, holding out his arms to her. She picked him up and he wrapped his arms around her neck, crying onto her shoulder.

"It's okay Sora," she said as she hugged him tightly, backing away from the fighting. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Unversed surrounded them, and Aqua gasped, taking a step back while holding Sora tightly. He turned his head to see what was happening and whimpered a bit.

Mickey jumped over the Unversed and stood in front of Aqua and Sora, much like he had when protecting the same young woman when she was with Kairi. He looked at her and said, "I'll try to hold them off, run."

Before Aqua could reply, Sora let out a loud cry. "Venny!"

Ventus heard his little brother's frantic call as Vanitas' Keyblade struck him hard. He breathed out heavily, wincing as his arm shook violently, unable to hold his Keyblade. He looked over and saw blood seeping down to his fingers and cringed.

"Pathetic," Vanitas said as he stood over him. "I think your weakling brother over there put up a better fight."

Ventus shook his head and said, "We will never made the χ-Blade."

"If I have someone ready to slice your brother's throat open, we probably will."

Ventus growled angrily. He was about to say something else when another powerful explosion echoed from where Terra and Xehanort were fighting. Everyone was tossed into the high walls of the canyon they were in except for Terra and Xehanort, who continued to fight. Though to Ventus, it looked like Xehanort was simply amused.

He pushed himself up to look for Sora to make sure that he was okay, but Vanitas was looming over him again. He raised his Keyblade into the air and said, "I don't care what Xehanort says about his stupid plan. I'm done dealing with you. You're not worthy of the χ-Blade, and there are other ways to create it." He brought his Keyblade, Void Gear, down towards Ventus' head and the blond boy closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the impact.

There was a loud clank of metal meeting metal, and Ventus had a quick flashback of Land of Departure and how nearly the same situation had happened there. He really needed to work on not getting hurt and put into rather hopeless situations where he needed saving.

He opened his eyes and was met with the strangest sight he had ever seen. Vanitas' Keyblade had been stopped by another Keyblade that was hovering in the air over him. He wouldn't have been quite as surprised if it was Aqua's Keyblade before him, he knew she could use her own weapon telepathically for a while, but he had never seen this Keyblade in his life.

It was very plain, in the shape of an old fashioned key. The blade was silver and it had a gold hilt with what looked like a Mickey-shaped silver keychain.

Vanitas backed up suddenly. He too was startled, not quite sure what to make of the Keyblade.

"Leave Venny alone!"

He looked around and saw Sora standing only a few feet away from him. There wasn't a speck of fear in the small boy. In fact, he was glaring at Vanitas.

Vanitas couldn't help but let out one of his insane laughs. "Or what? You'll beat me up?"

Sora's eyes narrowed and they suddenly focused on the hovering Keyblade before quickly darting back to Vanitas. The dark boy had only a split second to block the flying Keyblade at it tried to slam into him. He fought back, but the Keyblade just continued lashing out at him. He saw Sora staring intently at the Keyblade, and that's when it hit him.

The four-year-old boy was controlling the Keyblade with his mind.

Ventus, despite the pain, managed to jump to his feet to get to his brother, but he ended up crashing into some sort of force field. He couldn't get to Sora.

Xehanort had abandoned his match with Terra. He had thrown a powerful attack at the young man and he ended up back on the ground, injured, beside Aqua and Mickey, who were watching the scene before them with shock and awe. He too was watching with interest.

None of them realized the sheer magnitude of exactly what they were seeing. Sure, they could all grasp that seeing a four-year-old boy controlling a weapon with his mind was extraordinary, but none of them realized the significance of the weapon itself. The legendary Kingdom Key.

The first Keyblade was said to have been created with power from both the χ-Blade and Kingdom Hearts. It was from this Keyblade that all others were spawned. A twin to it eventually appeared, known only as Kingdom Key D, but it was lost in the realm of darkness. It was said that the Kingdom Key would only come to the most powerful of Masters.

It hadn't been seen since the rest of the Keyblades appeared, and legend had it, that it only had one Master before.

The sheer fact that this boy had summoned the Kingdom Key, of all things, showed Xehanort that the small child was much more powerful than he had ever imagined. And to be honest, that frightened him a bit. That was probably why he created the force field surrounding Vanitas and Sora. He wanted to see exactly how much the boy could survive.

Vanitas let out a groan of pain as the Kingdom Key crashed into his helmet. He heard it cracking and a piece of it was shattered, digging in his face painfully. Luckily, the shrapnel managed to avoid his eye.

He was sick of dealing with a flying Keyblade and being bested by a kid. He was much stronger than expected, stronger than even Xehanort probably expected. He was nothing more than a threat.

Fortunately for Vanitas, he was also only young and very untrained. Sora probably didn't realize just how far Vanitas could jump. If he did, he probably would have been out of the way more.

Vanitas flipped over the Keyblade as it attacked and landed facing away from Sora, but right in front of him. The boy was startled, but he didn't have any time to move.

Ventus let out a yell as he banged on the barrier, watching everything happen in slow motion. Vanitas swung around and his Keyblade hit Sora across the chest. The Kingdom Key vanished instantly, and Sora let out a loud cry of pain as he was thrown backwards, his small body hitting the force field before crumpling to the ground, unmoving as blood started to pool around him.

"Sora!" Ventus yelled, pounding on the barrier. It vanished, and he stumbled to the ground, ignoring the explosion of pain that went through his body. He pushed himself to his feet and rushed to his brother.

Aqua had reached him first, and was cradling him in her arms. He reached them and Sora's eyes cracked open a bit. He started at Ventus before saying, "I'm sorry Venny. I wasn't strong enough." Then his eyes closed.

"Aqua! Aqua, help him!" Ventus cried out. "Help him! You know magic!"

"Ven, I can't—I can barely get a little fire spell to work. I don't have any potions," she said, instead pressing the white fabric that hung around her hips to Sora's injury. "We need to get him to a hospital. I don't know how though. Taking him in space—"

"Hold on to each other," Mickey said quickly. He had pulled out his star shard and it started glowing brightly. Terra and Ventus each put their hand on the shard and placed an arm around Aqua, while Aqua made sure to keep Sora held firmly in her arms. There was a flash of light, and they were all hurled away.

Vanitas watched them vanish before looking over at Xehanort. It was impossible to tell if he was angry or not for the plan failing so miserably, but to be honest, Vanitas didn't particularly care.

That boy was powerful. Too powerful. He needed to find a way to put an end to him for good if he survived that injury.

**VVVVVV**

**Author's Note**

I know I went on about quick updates, but I'm not sure how fast I'll be updating now. I just…don't feel like writing anything any more.

Last Thursday, I got a call from my step-father who came and got me at university. He came and got me at 11 at night, and my uni is two hours away from home. My grandfather, who I was very close to, had a heart attack. My grandmother, mom, and three uncles stayed day and night with him. I was there from about noon until nine every night. He died early Monday morning. This entire week has just been so…surreal. I know he's gone, the only ones who cried more than me were my mother and grandmother, but it's just so…strange. He beat leukemia for 12 years, he had two strokes in the past month, then he had a heart attack and a stroke at the same time and held on for several days longer than any doctors expected. I'd say that's one hell of a fighter.

I guess the reason I mentioned this, aside from explaining why I haven't updated, is just to basically say don't take advantage of your loved ones, because one minute they're here and the next they're gone. It's a good life lesson from anyone. I mean, the last time I talked to my grampy was after his surgery to get a pacemaker that even the doctors thought would give him ten more years (this was back in January), he said 'I'm fine. Everything's okay. I'll see you soon'. Looks like soon is going to be a little farther away than he imagined.

Believe it or not, writing about that for other people to read actually makes it hurt just a little less. Dunno why, but it does.

Yeah…so no one's allowed to complain about slow updates.

Thank you to those who did review my last chapter. That includes Jad826, Trainalf, Shifuni, NRZWolf13 and Shadowfire2397.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I didn't really edit it at all. Don't worry, you'll all definitely get this story. It just might be a while for the next story though. I dunno yet.

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	17. Tension Rising

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Sixteen – Tension Rising_

Ventus slowly opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling above him and came to the conclusion that he really needed to stop injuring himself and ended up in places that he didn't know. He knew that he definitely wasn't in Yen Sid's tower this time. He thought back and remembered that he was in Radiant Garden, where Mickey's star shard had brought them. They had ended up in the palace courtyard, and apparently both Aqua and Mickey knew people inside, so they had rushed little Sora in.

Ventus felt sick to his stomach. His brother was getting the best treatment in Radiant Garden, he knew that, but there had been so much blood. He closed his eyes tightly and said, "Sora, I'm so sorry, I let you down."

They had spent hours waiting for news yesterday. He was the only one who had refused to get patched up, no matter how much pain he was in, but he couldn't really remember what happened after a while of waiting. The last thing he remembered was Aqua walking up to him and—

"Sleep spell," he mumbled. That would explain why he was feeling so sluggish.

Ventus pushed himself up out of the bed. He was only in his t-shirt and shorts, his armour piled on the floor neatly and his shirts folded on the dresser. He didn't look at those though. Instead, he slowly moved over to where his shoes were and slipped them on. He opened the door and was about to walk out when he ended up crashing into a tall figure.

He groaned as he ended up on the floor and looked up at the human wall that he had walked in to. Terra. Of course it had been Terra. The only people he had seen as big as him were those two massive guards outside the palace.

"Ven," Terra muttered, holding out his hand. He grabbed it and let his older friend help him up before staring at him glumly.

To Terra, Ventus looked like the living embodiment of misery.

"How long was I unconscious this time? It's all I ever seem to do," Ventus asked dully.

"Just the night. Aqua's spell wasn't that powerful. You needed some sleep." There was a pause, and Terra was slightly surprised that Ventus wasn't grilling him on information about Sora. In fact, that combined with the rather dull look in his eyes was incredibly unnerving.

"Terra is he—Ven!" Aqua, came around the corner, planning on checking on their younger friend and was happy to see that he was awake.

"Hi Aqua," he said before he shoved by Terra and into the hall without looking at her.

"Ven I—I'm sorry I used magic to put you to sleep but you were so exhausted and—"

"No, it's okay," he interrupted quickly. "It's fine. I understand."

Aqua glanced at Terra with confusion, and he just shrugged, looking equally as confused. She hesitantly walked towards Ventus, who had stopped at a window and was gazing outside.

"Ven, don't you want to know how Sora is?" she asked hesitantly. "An update, or anything?"

"Hmm let me think…probably a bad idea."

She was taken back by how sarcastic his voice was. Her eyebrows furrowed and he said, "Ven—what—"

He whipped around quickly and said, "Vanitas is me Aqua. You can say whatever you want about him being dark, but you can't deny he came from me. If you tested him, his DNA would probably be identical to mine, even if he looks different."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's my fault," Ventus said quietly. "I was the one who hurt Sora. It was me. Vanitas was the one who actually—and he is me, and I couldn't get to him, I couldn't save him. I can never save him, no matter what I do. Hell, he can save me better! Everyone always has to save me!"

"Stop it Ven," Terra said sternly. "Stop. You didn't ask Vanitas to do that! His consciousness is separate from yours. You couldn't know what he was going to do."

"But I did," Ventus said slowly. "I saw the idea forming in his mind a second before it actually did."

"A second? Ven, no one can take a second to process what they saw and act on it," Aqua said, reaching forward and putting her hands on his shoulders. "There was nothing you could have done."

"I don't deserve to see him."

"Stop making this about yourself!" Terra snapped, startling both of them. "He's going to be terrified when he wakes up in another place he doesn't know with strangers around him. He could even hurt himself more if that happens. Stop thinking about yourself and think of him!"

Aqua squeezed Ventus' shoulder tightly before saying, "He's right Ven. I remember on Destiny Islands, Sora said that he doesn't like doctors. They are going to have a terrified little boy on their hands when he wakes up either way, but if he sees you, he'll be calmer. You know he will. Sora looks up too much to you. What would we tell him if you weren't there? His brother doesn't want to see him anymore?"

"No," Ventus mumbled, sounding like a defeated child.

"Okay," Aqua said, letting go of him and straightening up. "Go get the rest of your clothes and armour on and we can go get some food. Then we'll go check on Sora." They both looked at her. "Consider it an order from a Keyblade Master to some lonely apprentices who are lost in the world."

Ventus managed to crack a smile at that.

**VVVVV**

Standing in front of the room that housed his injured brother, Ventus wished that he hadn't eaten so much. He really wanted to throw up. His little brother was just beyond this door, injured because he couldn't save him.

He took a deep breath and twisted the doorknob, pushing it open slowly so he wouldn't startle anyone inside. He peaked in and saw a lone doctor (or nurse, he wasn't sure) checking all of the machines, and there, laying on the bed, was Sora.

Sora had always been small for his age, but he looked so tiny surrounding by the machines. His normally tanned skin was so pale, and there were different tubes and machines hooked to him. It didn't look like he was breathing.

The nurse looked up at him and said, "You must be Ventus."

"Yeah," he whispered, feeling that talking too loud around his brother would hurt him more.

"Would you like me to get the doctor? He can tell you about how he's doing."

Ventus nodded, and she quickly left the room. He slowly approached is brother, needing to take a deep breath when he realized that Sora had a breathing tube down his throat. Ventus gently took Sora's small hand into his own and said, "I'm so sorry, Sora. If only I was stronger, I could have got rid of him first." He smiled a bit. "You'll be powerful enough though."

A few minutes later, an old man walked in the room. He glanced over his square spectacles and said, "You're Ventus, Sora's brother?"

"Yeah," he muttered.

"Excellent. I have a few questions for you about him, but first I suppose you'd like to know what's wrong."

"He basically got sliced open by a massive knife," Ventus said glumly. "I saw it."

"Well, to be bluntly put, yes. My name is Doctor Kaimen and I work as the main physician for the royal family, to assure you that I am qualified. Your brother was injured gravely. We needed to put in a lot stitches in the slash that runs from his right shoulder to his left hip. There was some internal damage to some of his organs, though we were able to repair that as well. It appears as if he was starved for the past few days, he was dehydrated, and there are many bruises and cuts that are a few days old. He seemed to be suffering from minor exhaustion. What we are worried about is the fever that he has. It's very high, and doesn't seem to be coming down…"

Ventus stared down at his brother. He took a deep breath. He needed to stay calm and objective. He needed to be there for his brother. He had to be the strong one. He had to.

"…So if he wakes up—"

"Wait, if?" Ventus' head snapped to the doctor again, having tuned in to hear that.

Dr. Kaimen sighed and said, "I know this is hard son. We needed to try to bring the fever down so we gave him penicillin and—"

"He's allergic to penicillin!" Ventus cried out.

"Yes, we found this out fairly quickly," he explained. "He reacted badly to it. That is why I need to ask you some questions about him. He is very sick. With his injuries and his allergic reaction, he may not wake up."

Ventus looked down at Sora and tried to keep himself calm. He choked a bit and he hadn't even realized that he had started to cry until he saw a tear drop onto Sora's skin. He brushed it away before looking up at the doctor. "What can I do? Does he need blood?"

"You'll need to answer some questions for me," the doctor said. "We don't want to give him anything else that will harm him."

"I—" If Ventus was honest, he couldn't really remember if Sora was allergic to anything else, or if there was anything he reacted negatively to. Now that he thought about it, he really didn't know his brother as much as he thought he did. "I'll try. I don't see him all too often."

Dr. Kaimen nodded his head and said, "We will do everything we can to help your brother. I promise you. I understand you are staying in the castle?"

"I'd like to see them try to throw me out," Ventus said with a forced laugh.

**VVVVV**

"Aqua!"

The young woman looked around and a small smile appeared on her face when she saw Kairi skipping towards her happily.

She knelt down and Kairi threw her arms around her and hugged tightly before letting go, grinning brightly.

"Kairi, have you been good since the last time I was here?" Aqua asked her with a grin.

Kairi giggled a bit and said, "Yes. Daddy says I need ta stay inside. It's dangaus."

Aqua's mind flashed to little Sora, who was struggling to stay alive in the castle. She sighed and said, "It is."

Kairi's smile vanished and she blinked. "Aqua? What's wong?"

"Wh—nothing Kairi."

"Mama says that you shouldn't lie."

Aqua was taken back by this, so Kairi said, "Lies awe dak in the hawt. You have lots a light, so you lies awe weally dak."

This girl's abilities amazed her. She studied the small girl before saying, "My friend, Ven, his little brother is here. He's really hurt though."

"Did the monstas do it?"

"Yeah, they did." Aqua didn't feel like she was lying. To her, Vanitas was nothing more than a dark monster that was forced out of the deepest, darkest part of Ventus' heart.

Kairi nodded before frowning and asking, "Will he be okay?"

"I hope so."

"Awe you staying fo a bit this time?"

"Yeah. I don't want to leave Ven or his brother alone," Aqua explained.

"We can make him get well cawds," Kairi said happily. "His budda can help too."

Aqua smiled again at this and said, "That sounds like a good idea Kairi. Are you doing anything right now?"

"Nope. Mama and daddy awe busy and Nami is with hew mama and daddy. We go get Ven?"

"Sure," Aqua stood up again and held out her hand, which Kairi quickly took.

They walked towards Sora's room in silence, only Kairi's humming was heard above the hustle and bustle of the castle.

Aqua peered into the room, blocking Kairi's view, and said, "Ven?"

He slowly looked around and said, "Yeah?"

"There's someone—"

"Sowa!"

They both looked down as the small girl walked into the room, her eyes wide and glued onto the bed. She took a few steps forward until she was at the edge of the bed and staring at the boy with shock.

"Kairi, we should probably—"

"Sowa's hut," Kairi said quickly. "The monstas did it." She looked visibly upset now.

Aqua moved over to Kairi and picked her up. The small girl whimpered, staring at Sora with tears falling down her cheeks silently.

"Yeah," Aqua replied, "that's Sora."

Ventus remembered Sora drawing in the waves, blushing about a girl named Kairi. He blinked with surprise, looking from his still brother to the distressed girl.

"Kairi?" he glanced at Aqua for confirmation, and she nodded. "How do you know my brother?"

"I sees him, when I sleep," she explained sadly. "We make him get betta cawds and cookies?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea," Aqua said to the girl before looking at Ventus. "We were coming to get you to see if you wanted to help."

"I—"

"You can't stay cooped up in here all day. You know as well as I do that he's much stronger than anyone is giving him credit for. Besides, you know he'd think you're insane for wanting to stay in this small room all day. When he wakes up he's going to be whining to get out of here."

Hearing Aqua say 'when he wakes up' instantly made Ventus feel a little better. He just kept brooding on what the doctor had told him about his brother, and was working himself up quite a bit over it.

"O—" He was cut off as one of the machines monitoring Sora started beeping wildly. One of the nurses had been coming to check up on them, and ran through the door quickly, yelling down the hall. A few other people rushed in and Ventus was pushed back out of the way.

People were talking loudly about things that none of them understood, and Kairi started crying wildly in Aqua's arms.

"Get them out of here!" Dr. Kaimen yelled loudly. "Now!"

Aqua held Kairi close to her and tugged at Ventus' arm and pulled him out of the room, monitors blaring loudly.

**VVVVV**

Ventus sat with his head in his hands. Terra was sitting beside him silently, and Aqua had taken a very upset Kairi back up to her room, unable to find either of her parents. The two friends sat in a tense silence, and Terra had no clue what to say. They had been waiting for over an hour without any sort of update.

"What do I tell my mom?" Ventus suddenly blurted out.

"What?" Terra looked over at him with confusion.

"I need to find a way to tell mom…something. I don't think—I don't think I can tell her this, and I can't leave him. I can't."

Terra was silent for a moment before he said, "Write her a letter."

"What?"

"Write a letter to your mother, and I'll bring it to her."

Ventus stared up at him in awe and said, "You'd do that?'

"Yeah," Terra said. "You need to get something to her somehow, and Aqua seems like she wants to stay too."

"Thanks Terra," he muttered with a small smile.

Terra pushed himself up and said, "I'll go find a pen and paper."

Ventus watched his friend leave before looking down at his hands and saying, "What do I tell mom?"

The truth and lies argued back and fourth in his mind before he settled on what he was going to write. Neither truth, nor lies. He was going just to tell his mother enough to know that they had found Sora, and to imply that he was alright, but at the same time, to explain that there was a reason to keep him away from Destiny Islands for now without worrying her too much.

Ventus hated lying to his mother, but it had to be done. He couldn't tell her that he might have let Sora down too.

**VVVVV**

**Author's Note**

It took all my effort not to bash the doctor in this. My uncles discovered some problems with the medication that the doctor gave my grampy when mixed with the cancer medication that the doctor knew he was taking that actually might have been the reason he ended up dying. That and apparently the nurses treated him pretty badly. And by pretty badly, I mean not giving him food or nutrient supplements (or whatever) and being nasty to my grandmother. Needless to say, I am beyond pissed off right about now. Fuck, these people are paid a shit ton to save people, they should at least take the time to check the motherfucking medication. I just can't get passed the idea that when mixing those meds, it's highly probable for a heart attack to occur. He died from a heart attack. See why my uncles might be suspicious?

Good thing most of my family are professors and teachers who know to research things before going after someone. It won't bring him back, and none of us want any money (though Nannie sure could use it since she has nothing now), but maybe if they at least notify the hospital of poor patient treatment, it might help someone else.

Anyway, ranting aside, thank you for all of the reviews, and for everything else. It means more than you know.

Thank you to: Jad826, Joahikim, Shadowfire2397, Shifuni, NRZWolf 13, and Trainalf.

Hope you guys liked this chapter. Teasers for the next chapter: We actually get a scene from Terra's POV, and something that happened in the original is going to happen. That's all I'm saying.

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	18. Terra

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Seventeen – Terra_

Terra stared out over the ocean of Destiny Islands in thought. It was a day with sweltering heat and the smallest of breezes, but he didn't take any of that in, even when the sun started turning his skin red.

The last time he had been here, he had tried to take his best friend's brother away. He had tried to take him to Xehanort. It was true, Vanitas was the one who ended up taking him anyway, but he couldn't help but feel bad. Maybe if he had listened to Ventus or Aqua or Master Eraqus he could have changed what had happened.

"_Has the darkness taken you Terra?"_

He looked down at his hands and said, "I'm sorry, Master. I never intended for everything to end up this way."

"Why are _you_ here?" The word 'you' was said with so much dislike that Terra had to turn around to see who was talking to him. He found himself looking down at a small, silver-haired boy, and he quickly recognized him as Sora's friend. He felt like the letter from Ventus practically burning in his pocket, fueled by his own guilt, and he couldn't help but kneel down so he was at almost eye-level with Riku (so he would be a little less intimidating and put them on more equal grounds), and he said, "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt your friend. I was tricked. I thought that I was helping him."

"Where is Sora?" The worry on Riku's face was obvious.

"There's this masked boy, Vanitas. He is very dangerous, so if you see him, run as far away as fast as you can. He took Sora, but we got him back," Terra explained to the boy.

"Where is he now? In another world? Is Sora hurt?"

"He's still sick," Terra said, choosing to go around the truth a bit. "So he can't travel until he's better."

Riku nodded and looked out at the ocean. Though he was only young, his heart called out to him strongly and told him that Terra was telling the truth, and that he wasn't a threat. "I wish I could see other worlds."

"Why?" The light and power in this boy's heart was strong, Terra could see that. He had so much potential, and the young man could see the power to use a Keyblade deep within him, waiting to be unlocked.

"So I can be stronger," Riku said, looking back at Terra. "That way, I can protect my friends."

Terra couldn't help but he taken back by how much a like he and this little boy really were. His motives were better than Terra's original motives of just wanting to better himself. Now things had changed, and they both wanted the exact same thing.

"Riku, have you seen one of these before?" He held out his hand and his Keyblade appeared in his hand.

"Didn't Ven and that blue-haired lady have these?"

Terra chuckled a bit at hearing Aqua referred to as 'the blue-haired lady'. "Yes. This is a Keyblade, a very powerful weapon." He held it out, and Riku looked from the Keyblade, to him, and back again.

Slowly, Riku reached out and touched the Keyblade, needing both of his hands to completely hold onto the hilt on his own. The Keyblade didn't vanish, and Terra saw a quick flash of light as the power in the small boy was unlocked.

Riku let go of the Keyblade as Terra took it back and it vanished. "You will see the worlds some day, and you'll have the power to keep your friends safe from harm. When the time comes, I'll try to teach you everything I know."

This caused the younger boy to smile and say, "Really?"

"Yeah. Just don't tell anyone else, not even Sora, okay? It's our secret for now." He didn't want Vanitas or someone else finding out about Riku as well.

"I promise," Riku said happily, smiling broadly. Then, a thoughtful look appeared on his face and he asked, "Why are you here anyway?"

"Right, I almost forgot, I have to get Ven's mom a letter from him."

"About Sora?"

"Yeah. How did you get over here anyway? You're not supposed to be on your own, I remember that."

Riku shrugged and said, "Mom and dad are fighting again so I came over here. I guess I was just looking for answers, and I found them."

Terra nodded and stood up, "Well, I'll row you back to the main island. Don't come out here on your own, it may be more dangerous than you think."

"Okay," Riku said. "Your name is Terra, right?"

"Yes."

"Terra, will Sora be okay?"

He wanted to tell the truth, he didn't want to lie, but he could remember seeing the small redheaded princess crying hysterically, even though she never really met Sora before. This boy was only five, and Sora was his best friend.

"He'll be fine."

**VVVVVV**

Naminé was with her parents again somewhere else. Kairi's mother said that it was too difficult and dangerous for them to travel right now, so needless to say, since her parents were busy as well, Kairi was very bored. Normally, she had maids and tutors trying to teach her how to be prim and proper, like the Princess she should be already, but she didn't want to deal with that. She wanted to run around and play, but there was no one to play with, and she wasn't allowed outside.

Kairi didn't even know where Aqua or Ventus were, so she couldn't try to get one of them to take her outside. Ventus seemed to enjoy being outside, so if he was going out to the private royal gardens, Kairi often tagged along. It was the only time she was allowed out.

Now though, there was no one around, and she didn't want to have to learn to be a proper Princess. She had heard Aqua tell Ventus that they 'expected to break Kairi down until she was a submissive princess who would lay back for her husband who she didn't love and only be good for kids', or something along those lines. She wasn't exactly sure what it meant, but it didn't sound good. If Aqua sounded unhappy with it, then Kairi didn't want anything to do with it either.

Now though, she was bored, and there wasn't much to do. She had already snuck away from the maids and managed to dodge by all of the guards without being caught. Finally, she reached her destination, managing to open the door and peak inside. Once she was satisfied that there was no one there, she walked into the room and closed the door behind her.

She stalked across the floor and climbed up onto the chair, looking at the boy in the bed curiously. He had a mask over his mouth and nose, and she remembering hearing someone say that he was breathing, but he was struggling a bit so he needed that. She didn't like the thought of him struggling with anything.

She eyed his spiky brown hair with interest before struggling a bit more and climbing up on the bed beside him. She was careful not to touch any of the tubes that were attached to him. Aqua had said that they were helping him, so that was a good enough reason to leave them along.

Kairi couldn't help but smile as she touched his soft hair, a giggle escaping her a moment later. Sora was really there, right in front of her! He definitely was real, and it was really him! He looked exactly like she had pictured.

"Hey, awe you asleep?" Kairi whispered to him. She didn't receive an answer, and she was a little disappointed, but she pushed that aside. Sleeping when you were sick was good; her old nanny that looked after her said so.

"That's okay," she said. "You sleep. It's good if you sick. Aqua told me that sometimes when people won't wake up, they can still heaw you. So, my name's Kaiwi. Mommy says that I have ta wok on saying my awes, but it's hawd. I wish you was awake. Then we could be fwiends and play. I had dweams of you befoe. You was my bestest fwiend in them and we get ma-eed and have lots of fun."

Kairi sat in silence for a moment before moving a bit to avoid the tubes and resting her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "I have a nap with you. Maybe when I wake up, you'll be awake too. Night Sowa."

Aqua and Ventus found them like that not long after. Ventus cracked a smile at the sight of the small girl sleeping beside his brother, and Aqua giggled a bit.

"He's unconscious and he has more moves than you," she whispered to him. "He's a right little charmer."

"I'm sorry for not flirting more with little kids and old ladies."

"Excuse me?"

"Can't yell in here," Ventus said the last part in a singsong voice before moving over to the chair and sitting down. He stared at Sora and Kairi for a moment before his brows furrowed and he said, "That's weird."

"Hmmm?" Aqua let the old lady comment slide, deciding that it would be immature to get in an argument over that when so much else was going on.

"Normally, if I try, I can actually see the connection from Sora's heart to mine. You know, how the Master taught us to sort of read auras?" Ventus said, looking over the two small children. "Well, it looks like there's more of them now."

Aqua focused on the children, mentally using her magic. The ability to quickly glance at one's heart and seeing the darkness or light was definitely helpful, though sometimes it was hard to judge a person even after seeing their heart.

Sora was definitely one of those cases. His heart was so bright, but there was still a bit of darkness there. She had learned long ago though that a lot of darkness didn't necessarily mean that a person was evil, and a lot of light didn't mean that they were really good either. Then Master Eraqus had confused her by saying that only light was good, but she let it go. It was all so confusing.

She had never felt or saw something like Sora's heart before though. Not because of it's lack of balance, but because of how many connections seemed to be coming off of it. She could see the one to Ventus as clear as day, and there was one to her own heart that was a little thinner. Some of them seemed to just fade away, so she assumed that those people were far away, but what caught her attention was the strong, solid connection between Sora and Kairi's hearts.

She blinked and the image faded in front of her. It was hard to look at a person's heart for too long, and she already felt a headache rising in her head. That was why they were cautioned at doing that.

"Did you see it?" Ventus asked her after a moment.

"Yeah," she replied in almost a whisper. "That bond—that must have been how they knew about each other before ever actually meeting. Then when they physically met, so their hearts just took to each other."

"How's that possible, and what does it mean?"

"Destiny?" She suggested with a shrug. "I dunno. They're definitely going to be drawn to each other though. Basically he has a girlfriend before you. Or something more."

Ventus shot her a quick but playful glare. It vanished as Kairi groaned, her eyes opening. She looked around at them for a moment before looking down at Sora and saying, "He's in pain."

"What?"

"Sowa. I could heaw him. He whispew to me in my heawt. He's so sleepy."

Ventus sighed and looked down. He would have questioned that before, but not after seeing the connection that was there. He knew that Kairi was telling the truth.

He stood up quickly and left the room. Kairi looked at Aqua with confusion, and the young woman smiled before hurrying after her friend.

"Ven?"

"My little brother is dying, no matter what the doctors do. They're just as confused," Ventus snapped, facing away from her. "I have to do something. I can't just sit back and watch this happen."

"What will you do?"

"I don't know. Something. Anything."

"Don't do something stupid, Ven."

He whipped around to face her and said, "Stupid, Aqua? He's my brother. I would die for him. Did you forget that he is the Keyblade Master? The one that everyone wants for one reason or another? He's important, Aqua. Just from that point of view, as Keyblade Bearers, especially you as a Master, we should be doing everything we can to help him."

She looked down before saying, "You're right. Still, as your friend, not as a Master or a Keyblade Bearer in general, don't do anything stupid Ven."

He smiled weakly and said, "I'll try. I'm going to get some air, okay?"

She nodded her head and watched him walk away. She reached into the hidden pockets on her shorts and pulled out her Wayfinder, squeezing the blue charm tightly in her hand and closing her eyes.

She had a really bad feeling that something terrible was going to happen, and considering everything else that had happened and how much she dread she felt, she knew it had to be bad.

**VVVVVV**

Ventus had made his way far from the actual city and into a canyon made of steep hills, high cliffs, with huge crystals protruding from every direction. It reminded him a bit of Crystal Shards, but it was still so different. There was nothing else there, but it felt so much more alive.

He was sitting on one of the cliff-sides, staring off at the castle in the distance. The castle where his little brother lay, dying for reasons that the doctors couldn't figure out. His fever was too high, or he was too sick or something along those lines. Ventus couldn't keep up. He was still only fifteen, and it was just too much for him to take in.

"I can't let Sora die," he muttered, burying his face in his hands. "I can't. I watched Roxas go, I can't let Sora go too. Mom—mom would be heartbroken. I can't—I'll do anything…" He trailed off, looking up at the sky for a moment before standing up and shouting loudly. "I'll do anything! Anything to help brother! Please! Just—help…" The last part trailed off as a weak whisper.

"While a god or two from several worlds may hear your plea, none will answer it."

Ventus shot around so fast that he almost lost his footing and fell. Instantly, Wayward Wind appeared in his hand and he stared at the figure behind him with shock.

"Maleficent?" he breathed out. "What are you—how did you—?"

"Xehanort was so forthcoming about information of the worlds. I had to see for myself," she said in her elegant drone of voice.

Ventus was still off-edge from seeing her in a world that she was not supposed to be in. He had no idea how she got through without a Keyblade, but he had an unsettling feeling that Master Xehanort had something to do with it.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"Why, you asked for help, why would I deny such a plea?"

He felt his defenses rise quickly and asked, "Why do you care?"

"You wish to save your useless brother, is that right? I can do just that. For a price." She smirked as he loosened his grip on his Keyblade.

"You can help—no, the doctors will find something or someone…"

"Who will help you? The Master that your friend has slain? The gods of worlds who have long abandoned you? You, with your weak powers? Perhaps Aqua, with her strong, but seemingly useless magic?"

"How do you know that?"

"I know many things." Maleficent still had that eerie smirk on her face.

Ventus bit his lip before he straightened up, his hand falling to his side, limply holding his Keyblade. "What's your price?"

"I have looked into a few things in my recent travels and I have come to the conclusion that you are simply a nuisance. Aqua as well, but she is something I can deal with later." She smirked at him. "One life cannot be saved without another taken. I can allow your brother to live, in return for your death."

Ventus was taken back by this. He quickly went over everything in his mind and realized, with sharp relief, that Maleficent had no idea who Sora really was. If she had known that he destined to be the most powerful Keyblade Master that had been seen in a long time, she wouldn't have made this offer. She thought he was a normal little boy, most likely used to get to Ventus himself. She would take no interest in Sora.

Then, he realized her words. No one else could do anything. She was the only one that could, and her price was steep. Sora's life for his own. It should have been a difficult decision to make, but it truly wasn't.

"What would happen? Would I just drop dead? Or would I have some time?"

"Such as it would take him time to heal, it would take you time to die," she answered smoothly.

"Write it down," Ventus demanded. "A binding contract, one that cannot be undone. Then we'll both sign it to keep our parts of the agreement. Sora lives, free from the pain he's in now, and I won't even try to find a way to stop myself from dying."

He didn't like the smug smirk on her face, but he was desperate. He watched her hold out her staff, and a glowing, green scroll appeared in front of him, words appearing on it. An elegant quill that looked like it was made from a raven's feather appeared beside it, floating in front of him. "As you wish."

Ventus glanced at her nervously, looking at the contact carefully, making sure that there were no loopholes that she could use. He realized, reading through, that she truly didn't realize how important Sora actually was. Somehow, she had remained in the dark about that fact, and he was thankful for it.

"Do we have a deal?" she asked smoothly.

Ventus stared at the contract for a moment, glancing at the dark fairy before letting his Keyblade vanish. He grabbed the pen and held it up to the glowing parchment nervously. He hesitated for a moment, and he could picture Sora struggling to breathe in his mind and Kairi saying that he was in pain. Then he saw Vanitas in his mind and realized that this solution was the best he was going to get. Sora would live, and he would die. They would hide Sora, and Xehanort's plans for him and Vanitas would fall apart. It would take him time to formulate a new one, and in that time, Aqua and Terra could prepare for what was coming.

He signed his name, and instantly some of his strength left him, causing him to groan and stumble to the ground, holding his head.

"The magic starts working instantly. Your brother's pain had to go somewhere. You are a fool Ventus, and you will lose everything." Then, in a magnificent display of emerald flames, she was gone, her laughter piercing through his aching head.

Ventus grinded his teeth against each other from pain and shakily stood up, heading back towards the castle.

Sora would live, and that's all that mattered.

**VVVVVV**

**Author's Note**

Quoting Harry Potter FTW.

Yes, I basically just lifted this scene out of the original but edited it bit. Originally, when my final mixes were in the works, that was exactly what I did and planned to add an extra world or an extra chapter in a world, or something along those lines.

We see how that ended up. I kind of expected to need to completely rewrite this one. Shadows of Reality originally had the fewest changes when I started planning the final mixes. It definitely has more changes than Shadows of a Dream: Final Mix now though.

If you look at the amount of chapters, we're now even with the original Shadows of Sleep and almost the same with reviews. That is freaking awesome! Thank you guys! I really do appreciate it! This includes: Trainalf, Jad826, NRZWolf 13, Shadowire2397, and Shire Folk!

Oh, one thing, some people can't really understand Kairi? That's what I'm aiming for. Kids learn how to speak at different rates, and some need speech therapy as well, so that's what I was going for. So no, she's not going to suddenly be speaking normally. My suggestion: deal with it! :P

I'd put a .gif here of Squirtle putting on his sunglasses, but ff.n doesn't support that type of thing.

Remember to review! :D

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	19. Desire For All That Is Lost

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Eighteen - Desire For All That Is Lost_

Kairi was sitting on the chair in Sora's room with a table pulled up to her, drawing and colouring with the paper and crayons that had been given to her. The nurses had thought that she seemed a little bored, but she refused to leave, so they had brought her something to do instead. She wasn't anywhere near as good at drawing as Naminé was, but that was okay. Every once and a while, her eyes would look over at Sora to see if he was awake, but he never was.

"There you are!"

Kairi looked up and stared at her mother, slightly surprised, especially because of how angry the woman seemed.

"Ma—"

"I have been looking for you everywhere!" her mother snapped. "You were supposed to stay in your room! You had a dress fitting and etiquette lessons! You are not some common miscreant, you can't just wander off when you please!" Her indigo eyes moved over to Sora, and a bit of the harshness left her. "Why are you here?"

"I don't want a new dwess, and I don't want et-eti…lessons!" Kairi snapped back, pushing the table away a bit and climbing up onto Sora's bed again, tears in her eyes.

"Get down from there this instant."

"No! I'm staying with Sowa!"

Manami was extremely taken back by this statement. His glanced at the injured boy and said, "Pardon?"

"Sowa. I'm staying with Sowa."

"That is not his name."

This actually seemed to make the little girl angry and she pointed at the chart at the end of the bed. "Look in the book. His budda, Venny, said his name was Sowa."

Not sure why she was even bothering to humour a four-year-old, the woman snatched up the charts and flipped it to the first page. She kept her surprise hidden when she saw that his name actually was Sora. With a sigh she set down the chart and said, "We have things we need to do Kairi."

"I want to stay."

"You are a Princess!" Manami snapped, grabbing her arm. "You do not get to argue with me!"

Tears built up in Kairi's eyes. She didn't know why her mother was so angry at her. This rarely ever happened. She pulled her arm back as hard as she could and screamed, "No! Let me go! No! Stop huting me mama! Stop! It huts!"

Of course, she wasn't actually hurt or anything, but it was enough to draw the attention of some of the people who were in the halls. Manami's face flushed angrily and she was about to say something nasty to her young daughter when a small, barely audible groan came from the boy on the bed.

Kairi snapped around and her eyes focused on Sora with surprise. She leaned over him a bit and said, "Sowa? You awake?"

His eyes scrunched together before slowly blinking open. He stared up at Kairi with what could only be described as wonder.

"Sowa," she said happily. She reached out and took Sora's hand into hers. That's when it seemed to occur to him that he had a mask over his mouth, there were a ton of tubes attached to him, and he had no idea where he was.

He started breathing heavily and jerked up quickly, tears welding up in his eyes. He reached his hand up to rip the mask of off his face, but when he saw his arm he froze. There were several IVs in one arm, and the other was hidden under a thick cast. The cast, he didn't seem to care about, but he started crying hysterically at the sight of the needles.

Ventus had mentioned to the doctors that Sora was very scared of needles, but, unfortunately, none of the doctors were in the room at the moment.

Sora tried to grab at the tubes and then he was once again became aware that there was a thick, plastically oxygen mask on his face.

Kairi's mother shot forward and gently took his hands into her own so that he wouldn't hurt himself. "Calm down sweetie, calm down." She glanced down at her daughter and said, "Kairi, go find a nurse or Dr. Kaimen."

Kairi stared at Sora with worry before nodding, jumping off of the bed and running into the hall.

"It's okay Sora. Your name is Sora, right?" she asked him, but didn't get a reply. "Calm down, it'll be okay. It'll be okay. Don't look at your arms, look at me."

Manami might have been harsh on her daughter at times, but the young girl was being trained to be a Princess and it was just the way it went. She could never even think of being angry with a child who was so frightened. He was taken from his home, hurt badly, and he woke up to unfamiliar faces in an unfamiliar place.

Still, it seemed like her touch was calming him down a bit. He wasn't sobbing quite as hysterically anymore, but he was breathing in and out heavily.

"I—I want mommy," Sora sobbed, his voice struggling through his breaths and dimmed by the plastic mask. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him gently, not wanting to hurt him anymore than he already was.

"She's not here right now," she said hesitantly, before quickly saying, "Your brother is though."

"Venny?" he muttered.

"Yes, and Aqua is here too."

Sora sobbed and shuttered before he said, "It hurts."

"Where?"

"I—I—it—I want mommy." He started sobbing harder again. "Venny."

She rocked him back and fourth a bit, and after a while, Dr. Kaimen came rushing into the room, a few nurses coming in behind him. Sora whimpered at the sight of the unfamiliar old man and moved closer to Kairi's mother.

"Well hello Sora, we were hoping that you'd wake up soon," the old man said happily. He was well aware of just how frightened the small, injured boy was and wanted to put him at ease. Though he knew that some children simply would not calm down without their parents there, or at least a familiar face. "So, let me ask you first, do you feel any pain?"

Sora let out a whine like an injured puppy, but then his head turned as Kairi climbed up on the chair beside the bed. She leaned over her mother's lap, reaching out and hold in his hand. "It's okay. Docta Kaimen is weally nice."

Sora's eyes darted to her, before looking back at the doctor and muttering, "It hurts."

"Okay," Dr. Kaimen said, slightly surprised that Kairi was able to calm him down so quickly. "Is there anywhere in particular?"

"My tummy, my arm, um…head," he said, whimpering a bit.

"Well, you got a pretty big cut on your stomach, but it's going to turn into a very neat scar, just don't try to do it again," Dr. Kaimen said playfully, causing a small grin to appear on Sora's face. "It will hurt for a little bit because we had to put a whole bunch of stitches in. I bet none of your friends have had as many as you."

"Riku got six once," Sora mumbled.

"Just six? You have way more. Again, just don't do it again. Okay?"

Sora nodded his head before whimpering. The doctor looked at Kairi's mother and said, "Your highness, I need you to lay him back on the bed. I just need to check a few things"

The little boy turned his big eyes up to Kairi's mother fearfully, but it was Kairi who said, "We be wight beside you Sowa."

The woman gently laid the young boy down before picking up her own daughter and sitting down, placing Kairi in her lap. She watched as the doctor took the mask off of Sora completely before asking him to follow his finger, shining a light in his eyes, and various other small tests.

Manami felt horribly guilty for yelling at Kairi earlier because of this boy. Kairi had just wanted to stay with him, nothing more and nothing less. Manami couldn't imagine how frightened the boy's mother most have been, not knowing what was happening to her baby. If the roles had been reversed, she would have been much more comforted knowing that someone was always with Kairi, even if it was only just another stubborn child.

She took a moment to ponder over the fact that Kairi knew Sora, and he seemed to know Kairi, though they had never met each other before. Manami Kokoro may have been many things: harsh, proper, and even petty and superficial at times, but she was not stupid by any means. She knew the fact that her daughter knew this boy, and he knew her, was very important. It was curious how she was instantly able to calm him down, taking his fear of the needles in his arm, and keeping him from panicking about the thick cast on his other arm.

"You seem to be doing just fine, though you need to stay in bed for a little while. You still have a fever." The doctor turned to Kairi and her mother. "Your Highness, if I could speak to you in the hall for a moment?"

"Yes, of course," she answered, standing up and setting Kairi on the chair. "Stay with Sora sweetie."

"Kay mama," Kairi said eagerly, and the woman followed the doctor out of the room.

He rounded on her quickly and said, "That's impossible."

"I'm sorry?"

"He just got better so fast. This morning we had all agreed that it would be best to just take him off everything and keep him on morphine for the pain, because there was absolutely nothing we could do for him. He was just fading away. Now though, it's like he's just healing from his major injuries and has a little bit of a cold. The only thing I can possibly attribute it to is magic, but magic wouldn't make him that much better that quickly."

Manami pressed her lips together tightly before asking, "You have no idea how it could have happened?"

"No. I'm just thankful it did. It's hard to watch families sit with their loved ones who have lived a long life and are slowly dying, let alone watching a small child die. That boy is definitely the miracle that all those people who go through that wish that their family members could have gotten."

Neither of them noticed the young woman around the corner listening to everything that they were saying. Aqua leaned the back of her head against the wall and looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. It was certainly possible to heal major injuries with magic, but it was more hyper-healing than anything else, and it still took a bit of time. Illness was another thing all together though. Most magic couldn't do anything about illness or most diseases. Only incredibly complicated, and extremely dangerous, magic could possibly pull that off. Magic that she was warned to never go near, magic that was dark and twisted.

She pushed herself off the wall and quickly made her way down the hall, fear passing through her. Though she wanted to go and see Sora, she knew he's appreciate seeing someone he knew, she needed to find Ventus first. The urge to locate him was so intense that she was practically running by the time she approached the doors.

"What have you done Ven?" she muttered as she ran.

**VVVVV**

"Aqua?"

She stopped mid-run when she heard Terra's voice call out her name. She quickly turned around, but before he could ask anything she said, "I'm trying to find Ven. Sora's better."

"Well, that's a relief," Terra said with a small smile. "You know that Ven never told his mother about what was wrong with Sora? He said that he was feeling sick so they were keeping him here until he was better."

Aqua chose to ignore that. "It is good Sora's better, but Terra, the doctors thought were certain that he was going to die, then poof, he's better. Not to brag or anything, but I am kind of an expert in magic, and the type of magic to do that, to basically reverse death, is so powerful that it's considered both dangerous and dark. I can't even come close to doing it. Only someone with a very twisted soul could pull that off."

A look of worry flashed through his eyes. "So if you didn't do it then…what did Ven do?"

"That's what I'm worried about," she replied. "We have to find him, but it's hard to sense him through both Sora and Kairi."

"Did he say he was going somewhere?"

"I haven't seen him since he left for a walk last night," Aqua shook her head. "I never thought about it. I just assumed that he had come back and went to sleep. The doctor told him that Sora might not get better."

Terra was looking around thoughtfully, before he suddenly said, "Those cliffs in the distance."

"What about them?" Aqua asked.

"When Ven couldn't sleep, or something like that, he would always go up to the summit at…well…at home," a look of guilt flickered through Terra's eyes at the mention of the home he had been tricked into destroying.

Aqua stared at him for a moment, and he could see the bit of accusation in her eyes. Even if he had been tricked into helping in the destruction of Land of Departure, she couldn't help but blame him a little bit. Then, she nodded her head and said, "I guess it's better than nothing."

The two of them made their way towards the cliffs in the distance, but they didn't have to go far before they found who they were looking for. In fact, they were just outside the city limits.

"Ven!" Aqua cried out when they came across their friend lying out on the ground. She knelt down next to him and listened to see if he was breathing. She sighed in relief when she heard it and pushed herself off of the ground. She looked back at Terra and said, "He's breathing, and he seems to be fine. I think he might have just passed out or something."

"Or maybe it has something to do with Sora getting better."

She bit her lip before saying, "Lets get him back."

Terra nodded his head, easily picking up the much smaller young man, and they made their way back to the castle.

**VVVVV**

Ventus groaned and his eyes slid open. He found himself once again staring up at the ceiling of his room in Radiant Garden, and he was once again confused how he had got there. He could remember trying to come back but—

He suddenly shot up and muttered, "Sora." His legs ended up getting tangled in the sheets and he fell to the floor. He laid out on the floor for a moment before pushing himself up and rushing out of the room. He wasn't aware if he crashed into someone else on the way to Sora's room or not, all he could think about was getting to his brother's side to make sure Maleficent held her end of the bargain.

He skidded to a stop in front of the open door and stared at the sight in front of him, a warm smile appearing on his face.

Sora was sitting up on his bed, no IVs in his arms or anything, talking quietly to two small girls. He recognized Kairi, who seemed quite happy, sitting beside Sora, and the other girl must have been Naminé, who was facing them with her sketchbook.

"Ven."

He jumped a bit and looked around to see Aqua walking towards him, a look of relief on her face. He was surprised when she gave him a very tight hug.

"What was that for?" he asked her, confusion lacing through his voice.

"What was—Ven, you've been asleep for a week."

He blinked with surprise and said, "Really?"

"Yeah. Terra and I found you unconscious. It looked like you were coming back from the Crystal Fissure."

Ventus looked back into the room and Aqua said, "Sora's fine. He's not in much pain anymore. The doctor doesn't want him doing too much though, in case he pulls his stitches or something. He's worried about you though."

"You told him?" he demanded, an annoyed look passing over his face.

"What could I say Ven? He knew you were here! His heart is connected to you. Dr. Kaimen told him that you were feeling sick, so it would be bad for both of you to be in the same room. He's been so scared though. He woke up in a strange place with no one he knew there." Aqua nudged him closer to the door so they could both peer inside. "She's the only thing that's kept him so calm. Kairi. Though he was excited to see me. Hell, he was excited to see Terra. He's just as forgiving as you are."

"He actually talked to Terra?" Ventus asked after a moment of watching Sora and the two girls.

"Yeah. He just looked at him and said something along the lines of 'you have a good heart and I forgive you for being tricked' or something along those lines. Seriously, I thought Terra was going to cry. He'll never admit it though."

"Venny!"

Sora had finally noticed his older brother standing at the door. His eyes were wide and there was a huge smile on his face as he inched his way towards the edge of the bed.

"You not supposed ta get up Sowa," Kairi scolded him. He ignored her though and pushed himself up to his knees.

Ventus smiled before crossing the room and pulling his brother into his arms tightly. He blinked back his own tears, needing to be strong for Sora. He knew that he wasn't going to be around for much longer, and he didn't want Sora to be afraid or sad for him.

He pulled away and looked down at Sora as the small boy sniffled and brushed his tears away quickly.

"Hey, it's okay," Ventus said to him.

"I—I thought yous was gone and that you weren't coming back and I had to stay here and I'd never see you or mommy again and I want mommy."

"Sora—"

"I don't want you to go away anymore," Sora said while looking down. "Cause if you do you not gonna come back."

This startled Ventus more than anything else. He looked over at Aqua, who leaned against the doorframe silently, before looking at Sora again. He didn't know what to say to that.

"It's okay Sowa," Kairi said suddenly. Sora looked around at her with a rather awestruck look on his face, smiling and blushing.

"So Sora," he said, quickly to change the subject. "I see you have two new friends."

Sora blushed a little darker and said, "This is Kairi and that's Naminé."

"I've met Kairi before, but this is the first time I met you ,Naminé."

The blonde girl blushed violently and quickly adverted her eyes from him to her sketchbook, her cheeks a bright tone of red. He heard Aqua giggle behind him and he shot her a glare.

"Venny, you play with us?" Sora asked him before yawning.

"I think you're tired. When did you wake up?"

"When they give me yucky stuff," Sora said with a disgusted look.

"Eight this morning," Aqua answered. "I made sure I was here with him."

"Thanks," Ventus said gratefully. He looked back at Sora and said, "Really bud, you need a nap."

"But you just got here and I wanna stay with you." Sora looked visibly upset.

"Well, if you get some sleep, you can wake up later and we'll play until it's time for bed. I promise. Okay?"

Naminé climbed off of the bed and said, "I'm going to find mommy. I don't like naps. You coming Kairi?"

The redhead looked from her cousin, to Sora and back again and said, "I stay with Sowa."

Naminé seemed a little hurt that her cousin and best friend chose Sora over her. Aqua seemed to notice and walked into the room, kneeling by Naminé and whispering something to her. The small girl smile broadly and she took Aqua's hand and the two left the room.

"So Kairi, will you make sure to watch over Sora for me?" Ventus asked her.

"I will," she said happily. "I pomise."

**VVVVV**

**Author's Note**

Sorry I didn't update sooner. This website just doesn't want to work. This chapter has actually been sitting here for like 4 days now.

This chapter was incredibly awkward to write. Mostly because it's filler. It was meant to be something else completely, and I realize now that I failed miserably. Oh well. It'll work.

Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soon. There's no time left of school and all the work in the world to do. And it's 1 in the morning and I didn't notice. Go me.

One thing: Kairi's mother is harsh, yes, but keep in mind that in the past, even at a very young age, children of high classed people were supposed to basically behave like little adults, even starting as toddlers. Kairi's mother is NOT a bad person though.

Side note that has absolutely nothing to do with this story:

Wanna know what makes me angry? The new Pokemon. I mean, that stuff was my childhood, but now they have ice cream cones, candles, rings and freaking trash bags as Pokemon! What the hell? Also, did we really need something called Woobat? Sounds a lot like Zubat, plus they're just as annoying.

Update from when I wrote that note: I kid you not, one of them is called Gurdurr. Oh wait, it turns into Conkeldurr. Oh god, I'm looking through them now. There's only one thing to do in this case: bail out.

Anyway…

Thank you to all my reviewers! That includes Trainalf, Twilight Cardmistress, Shifuni, Jad826, Shire Folk, Shadowfire2397, and NRZWolf 13.

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	20. Destiny's Force

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Nineteen – Destiny's Force_

There were few things that Ventus knew for certain in his life, but lately, there were three things he definitely knew.

The first thing he knew was that both Aqua and Terra were getting tired of waiting on him to breech the topic about what he had done. Both of them knew for a fact that he had done something that made Sora so much stronger and himself so tired and weak. He couldn't deny their claims either, because it was painfully obvious that Ventus couldn't quite keep up anymore. He got tired easily when playing with Sora, he slept longer, and it was getting harder to wake him up in the mornings. Training with the Keyblade was the farthest thing from his mind.

The second thing he knew was that he was going to die soon. He wasn't exactly sure when, but he knew it was going to happen sooner rather than later. Not just because he was tired. If he was honest, the thought that he might just fall asleep and not wake up was frightened, but at the same time, he thought it was an almost lame way to go. Honestly, he kind of wanted to go out with bang. Maybe taking Vanitas down with him if he could.

The third thing he knew was that it was going to be incredibly hard to take Sora away from Kairi. He observed them over the past few days, and he could see the connection between them. They were always playing together, and even Kairi's mother allowed her daughter to take a break from everything that she was supposed to be doing.

The problem was that the doctors had said that Sora was strong enough to travel. Ventus knew that he needed to take Sora back home soon, his poor mother was probably making herself sick with worry. The only reason they hadn't yet was because they weren't sure how to take Sora through the worlds. Aqua suggested a portal, but the only one who could possibly open one of them was Ventus. Aqua tried, but there's something protecting Destiny Islands, most likely the same thing that prevented them from finding the world in the first place. He was trying to gather his strength for the task that he would have to perform and it was incredibly difficult, but it was something that he needed to do.

Ventus was sitting in one of the lounges in the castle, staring up at the ceiling. It was the middle of the day, and he was already tired, wanting to fall asleep for the night. He heard some footsteps and looked around to see Terra enter the room, his hand over three long, thin cuts on his other arm.

"Kairi decided that she and Sora were going to play house," Terra explained. "She insisted that her cat was going to be their baby and they were trying to shove it in a dress. The cat didn't appreciate it. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Ventus stared at him for a moment before he started laughing. The mental image of Terra being taken down by a cat was hilarious.

A second later, Sora and Kairi rushed in the room, eyes wide with wonder as they came up to him.

"Venny, I have a very important question!" Sora said breathlessly. Once Dr. Kaimen had given him the word that he could get out of bed, he was a ball of energy again. He seemed torn between being with Ventus and being with Kairi, so he often just dragged the little girl around with him wherever he went.

"We was playing house," Kairi explained, "and Sowa—"

"So-rah," Sora said to her slowly. He wasn't mocking her though, he was honestly trying to help her say his name.

She nodded and tried to say his name again, but she struggled a bit, unable to get the R sound correctly.

"It's okay Kairi," Sora said to her before turning his attention to Ventus again. "So we was playing house and then Mr. Fluffcakes was going to be the baby but after he scratched Terra, Terra said that people should stick with people babies. But Ven, where do babies come from?"

Ventus stared at his brother with a visibly surprised look before his eyes snapped to Terra and he said, "This is your fault."

Terra coughed with amusement and said, "Well, I have to go meet up with Aqua. Have fun Ven." Then, he swiftly left the room.

Ventus said a few choice words under his breath and said, "You don't need to worry about that Sora."

"But Venny, we needs to know," Sora said, squeezing his leg and staring at him with pleading eyes. Kairi managed to copy the look perfectly and under the double blast, he found it hard to resist.

"Why do you need to know buddy?"

"Well, cause Kairi and I need a baby." He said it in a so matter of fact way that Ventus couldn't help but stare at him with wide eyes. He had no idea how to handle this at all.

"Well, you see, um…I just…how to I explain this? You need a mom and a dad who are married and love each other very much. After that, when they're adults, they um…" he trailed off, visibly flustered by having to answer this. "Magic! Yeah, that's it! They use a special type of magic that only adults can use."

"Then the baby goes in the mommy's tummy?" Kairi asked curiously. "I saw pictas of my mama and she was fat and daddy said I was in mama's belly."

Ventus groaned and said, "Oh dear god. Umm…yeah. The magic puts the baby in the mommy's belly."

Sora and Kairi stared at each other with wide eyes before Sora looked at her and said, "But how does it get out?"

"Different magic," Ventus answered quickly.

Sora and Kairi turned away from him, whispering excitedly for a moment before Kairi said, "When we gets olda Sowa and I awe gonna be ma-eed and have lots a babies." Sora blushed at this.

Ventus couldn't help but smile as he said, "Really?"

"Yeah," Sora said in an almost shy voice.

He laughed and Kairi said, "I want cookies. You want some Sowa?"

"Yeah," he said happily. "Coming Venny?"

"Sure, why not," he said and pushed himself off of the chair. He took only one step and he felt light headed, his vision spinning and he felt himself falling. The last thing he heard was Sora's terrified yell.

**VVVVV**

Ventus didn't open his eyes right away as he became conscious. He didn't let out a groan or anything else to signal that he was awake. He had a feeling that he wasn't in the castle anymore. It didn't smell like the castle, and the bed didn't feel like the one he had become accustom too. It smelled impossibly clean, and there was a steady beeping sound.

No one was in the room with him when he finally woke up. He looked around at the pale green walls and realized that he was in a hospital room. Not just one set aside in the castle, but a legitimate hospital.

Ventus pushed himself up, feeling a little more awake and alert. In fact, he felt better than he had for the last day or so. His mind wandered to Sora, who must have been horrified with him collapsing. He remembered hearing him scream.

He didn't know if he'd ever get another chance to feel as strong as he did at that moment. As much as he knew that his brother would hate it, he had to take Sora home. If he didn't do it, he might never be able to. He would die and his friends would have no way to get Sora home. Maybe some day he would be trained and be able to travel with a Keyblade Glider, and then he could go home, but Ventus had a feeling that just never hearing from both him and Sora again would kill their mother.

They were all she had left.

That thought punched Ventus in the stomach. His mother. She would know when he was gone, even if no one came to tell her. She would know. He didn't want to put her in that kind of pain, but it was either him or Sora. There was no way around it. Sora would be heart broken too, and others would still try to find them.

That's when a ridiculously insane idea popped into Ventus' mind. It was crazy, yet it was so simple and brilliant. They couldn't miss what they couldn't remember. Xehanort knew about Sora because of their connections to him, so if he was never there in their minds, neither was Sora.

Ventus realized that Vanitas would be a problem though, because he was Ventus' dark half. The only way he could see Sora staying safe would be if he destroyed his other half. It wouldn't matter anyway.

He didn't have the power to pull such a feat off, but he knew Aqua could. She knew things now that neither he nor Terra knew, and she was powerful with magic. The hard part would be convincing her.

He looked at the monitors for a moment before quickly detaching them from him. The heart monitor screamed loudly, and Ventus quickly jumped up and rushed to the door, closing and locking it. He saw his armour and clothes and quickly switched the hospital gown he was wearing for that. He didn't want to waste his physical energy (which was what seemed to be leaving him, since using the Keyblade and magic itself didn't seem to exhaust him anymore than it used to), so he opened the window, tossed out his Keyblade, and jumped on the Glider as it came back, heading towards the castle before the nurse could open the door.

**VVVVV**

"Sora? Come on buddy, you have to get up."

Sora groaned and mumbled, "No Bubbles, we can play later."

Ventus chuckled a bit at his brother and said, "It's Ven. Come on, I'm going to take you back to Bubbles…and to mom."

Sora's eyes slowly slid open and he stared at Ventus with a rather confused look. He blinked a few times before he asking, "You a zombie?"

"No," Ventus was taken back by this. "Why would you think that?"

"You fell," Sora replied with a yawn. "You wouldn't wake up."

Ventus frowned and said, "I'm sorry if I scared you Sora. I'm just not feeling too good lately. I—that's why I need to take you home now. Otherwise we might not be able to get you home again."

"See mommy?"

"Yeah, that's right, we'll see mom again."

Sora smiled at this but then he frowned, "What about Kairi?"

Ventus shook his head with a frown. "I'm sorry buddy, she needs to stay here with her mommy and daddy."

Tears welded up in Sora's eyes and he said, "But I don't want to go. Kairi has to come."

"She can't," Ventus said with a sigh. He placed his hand over Sora's heart and said, "But she'll always be right here. I know she's important to you, and you're important to her. You'll meet again. I know it."

"You do?"

"Yeah, and I know everything."

"Aqua says you don't."

"Psh, Aqua's a girl, what does she know?"

Sora seemed to think about this before shrugging a bit. He wrapped his arms around Ventus' neck as he picked him up and started walking through the shadows of the castle quietly. "You need to be quiet, okay Sora?"

Sora nodded his head before putting it on Ventus' shoulder. The blond could feel some of the young boy's tears on his neck and instantly felt bad. He didn't want to whisk him away in the middle of the night, but Ventus had no idea if he'd be able to get Sora back home later. The only thing he was certain of now was the present.

"What are you doing?"

He shot around and Sora let out a startled cry. Ventus felt his heart racing wildly and he gasped, "You nearly gave me a heart attack, Aqua."

Her ice-blue eyes narrowed into a glare and he repeated, "What are you doing?"

"Taking Sora home," Ventus answered.

"So you snuck out of the hospital in the middle of the night after your heart basically stopped earlier to take your brother without a word to anyone?" There was a pause. "You are ten kinds of stupid Ventus."

He didn't glare or get riled up about this. Instead he sighed and said, "You said it yourself, if I'm not here to take Sora back, odds are he won't be able to get back for a long time until he has his own protective amour and can use a Keyblade Glider himself. There are no big ships that can travel from world to world now. You have no idea how energetic and strong I feel right now. I think—I think that this is the only chance I'll have to take him home."

"Why?" she asked slowly. "Why do you think that this is going to be your only shot?"

He frowned a bit and said, "I'll tell you later, I promise."

"You still should have told someone. Do you know how people would have panicked if a little kid was suddenly gone without a word from the castle? Kairi for one would have freaked so her mother would probably send people to try and find Sora, and they would all be afraid that someone was able to slip in and take one child, so how safe is the princess?"

"I never thought about that."

"I know."

"Sowa?"

They looked around and saw Kairi walk forward, her eyes staring at them sadly.

"Kairi, what are you doing out here?" Aqua asked her, swatting down beside her.

Kairi ignored her though, her eyes locked on Sora, who struggled against Ventus until he put him down. He walked over to Kairi and said, "Venny says I have ta go home now."

Her eyes teared up and she said, "No."

"I have to. I need to go to mommy."

"But you my bestest fwiend eva."

"Aww don't be sad. We always be friends. I'll come back, I promise."

Kairi suddenly hugged him tightly and Sora's eyes went huge, his face turning red but he hugged hr back.

"I know you will," she muttered to him. Kairi then quickly pressed her lips to Sora's cheek and took a few steps away from him, sniffling and crying silently.

Ventus couldn't even tease his little brother, he felt so terrible at taking Sora away from his friend. Still, the boy needed to go back to his mother. Ventus summoned his Keyblade before he changed his mind, and held it out in front of him.

Sora and Kairi watched in awe as a huge Keyhole made of light seemed to appear out of nowhere. A thin beam of light shot out of Ventus' Keyblade, hitting the Keyhole and a bright, glowing portal appeared in front of them.

Ventus took Sora into his arms, not wanting the boy to get lost or separated from him. Ventus could feel his tears, but he didn't say anything about them. He looked back at Aqua and said, "I'll explain everything to both you and Terra, okay?"

Aqua nodded and rested her hand on top of Kairi's head. The small girl was crying, and Ventus had to turn away, unable to look at her tears.

Sora looked over his shoulder and held out a small hand, waving to her as he said, "Bye Kairi."

"Bye So-rah," Kairi said, stressing the last part of his name as she watched Ventus enter the portal, it vanishing behind them.

There was a pause of silence before Kairi let herself cry loudly. Aqua knelt beside her, hugging the small girl comfortingly. Suddenly, a memory hit her and she reached into her body and pulled out a fully in-tact shell, glad that she had used magic on it to keep it from breaking.

She pressed it to Kairi's hands, and the girl looked at it with confusion.

"Sora wanted me to give that to you. It's from his home. You will see each other again and long as you don't let him go in here." Aqua pointed to Kairi's heart.

Kairi looked down at the shell and held it close to her chest with a smile. "I won't."

**VVVVV**

Sora had wanted down the second that he realized that they were home. The little boy had been so close to running home, but Ventus held his hand tightly and they walked back. He didn't want to wake anyone up by running around in the middle of the night. He also didn't want Sora running off on his own, just in case.

Sora was practically bouncing with excitement when they finally reached their home. Though Ventus was certain Sora would miss Kairi, he was also certain that his brother wanted desperately to be with their mother again.

The door was locked when they got there, and their mother had taken away the spare key that used to be in the flower pot on the windowsill. Ventus knew that he could have unlocked the door with his Keyblade, but instead, he rang the doorbell.

No light came on, but Ventus was sure he could hear someone moving around on the other side of the door. Sora seemed to hear it too and called out, "Mommy?"

The light suddenly turned on, the locks were undone, and the door flew open. Ayame stared at her two sons with wide eyes for a moment before she let out a sob and fell to her knees, pulling Sora to her tightly. She didn't say a word, but she held out her arm to Ventus, who knelt down and joined in the family hug.

"Mommy, I missed you," Sora mumbled into her shoulder.

"I miss you so much too," she whispered as she let go of Ventus and drew Sora closer. "I was so scared. Oh, look at your cast."

Sora looked down at the light blue cast on his arm and said, "Kairi and Naminé signed it. I'm going to miss Kairi."

Ayame looked up at Ventus, who just smiled and shrugged. Suddenly, a cold feeling shot through him and he whipped around, cerulean eyes observing everything slowly and carefully.

"Ven, what's wrong?" his mother asked, as she held Sora to her protectively.

Ventus waited for a moment, waiting for the dark force to strike, but it didn't move. He glanced at his mother and brother, illuminated only by the light coming from the house, and said, "Stay here."

Before his mother could protest, he started running towards the beach. He felt a wave of exhaustion pass over him, but he refused to give in to it. He came to a stop on the beach and looked around.

"Where are you Vanitas? I know you're here!"

"Someone's on edge."

Ventus swung around, his Lost Memory Keyblade appearing in his hand. He glanced at the masked boy, illuminated only by the moonlight, and said, "I won't let you hurt him again."

"Amazing how a few pokes and prods can change someone," Vanitas said, as if mocking him. "I'm not here for your brother. Not yet. Something's changed within you. Now you are truly ready to fulfill your purpose."

"I won't join with you," Ventus snapped at him. "We need to fight to do that, and I won't. There are other ways to get rid of you."

"Really? I can't see you playing the pacifist. Not with your brother's life on the line."

"Leave Sora out of this!"

"But, why would I go after him now? I don't have time to deal with the whiny brat. There are more important things. Like the χ –Blade.

"No. I won't do it."

Vanitas was silent for a moment before he said, "Fine. I'll give you another reason to fight."

"What?"

"Your weaknesses are obvious Ventus. Already your friends are both on the move, heading towards the same place. Come and find me at the one and only place to spawn the χ-Blade. The Keyblade Graveyard. There, you're gonna see me choke the life out of Terra and Aqua. Then we'll see how long you truly play the pacifist."

"Wait!" Ventus called out, but it was too late, Vanitas had vanished.

Ventus' thoughts raced wildly. He had just seen Aqua not that long ago, but it was certainly possible that she had caught wind of something that was going on and left Radiant Garden not long after he did. Terra had gone off to another world and Ventus had no idea where he was, so he could easily see him being in the Keyblade Graveyard, especially if he was looking for Xehanort.

He thought about it for a moment. He knew that Vanitas had no reason to lie to him. It was true, if he was gone, Sora would be a target. Vanitas could find Destiny Islands much easier than Terra or Aqua could. They would never reach him in time.

He needed to get rid of Vanitas before he died.

"Ven?"

He looked around at his mother, who was holding Sora as she approached. She looked around cautiously, but when she saw no one there she looked at her older son with sad, almost knowing eyes.

"I have to stop him," he said to her. "I'm sorry mom. I need to do this."

"No Venny, no," Sora said. "No, he's bad. Don't."

"I have to Sora," he said while staring at his brother. "You'll understand someday."

"Ventus," his mother said, putting her hand on his shoulder and staring at him, "your grandmother, your grandfather, and your father would be so proud of you. I'm proud of you."

He smiled, and continued smiling though he felt a painful tug at his heart. This would be the last time he ever saw his mother, he knew it. Tears pooled into his eyes but he managed to blink them away before suddenly pulling his mother and brother into a hug.

"I need to go now. Sora, you be good, and keep practicing with your wooden swords. I know Riku will help you. You'll see Kairi again someday too, I know it."

Sora nodded his head slowly, but there were no tears in his eyes. There was just sad acceptance on his face.

Ventus looked at Ayame and said, "I love you mom."

"I love you too honey," she said warmly, and Ventus knew then and there that she didn't realize that this was truly goodbye. She just thought he was leaving for a while again. He didn't have the heart to tell her the truth.

He tossed his Keyblade into the air and his armour appeared around him. He jumped onto his Keyblade Glider, but before he could leave, Sora called out, "I promise I'll find you someday when I'm strong enough Venny!"

"He'll be back sweetie," Ventus heard his mother say, and he quickly ascended towards the sky, pretending that he hadn't heard his brother's words, and glad that his helmet hid his tears. Some might have called him a cry-baby, but saying goodbye to his mother and brother for the last time was heartbreaking.

Sora and Ayame watched him leave until they couldn't see him anymore. Then the mother carried her young son back home. Sora's eyes stayed locked on the sky though as he whispered, "Goodbye Venny."

**VVVVV**

**Author's Note**

And the next few chapters are going to be very familiar, though I purposely skipped them in the original Shadows of Sleep for that very reason, I figured 'whatever, lets do this!'

Saying Goodbye to someone, knowing you'll never see them again, is insanely difficult. I always kind of scoffed at the idea but now…it's just so incredibly hard. As far as little Sora knows (how he knows…he's just Sora and that's how he rolls), he'll never see Ven again.

I'm watching a show from the history channel called Ancient Aliens. It's actually really interesting. I love shows like this. Doesn't have to be fact, but it's still fun to watch.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! We're reading towards the end now! So thank you to: Trainalf, AKAAkira, Jad826, and Shire Folk.

So I've been spending a lot of money lately. For some reason, I thought it'd be a good idea to buy a new camcorder (my mom and I decided that we wished we had more videos of people, because we never got any of grampy really, so now we will), AND I bought a used N64. It works fine. Came with Yoshi Island and I loved that game when I was little. Also I bought Pokemon Snap for the lulz. Need more games! Lol!

Remember to review!

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	21. Waltz of the Damned

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Twenty – Waltz of the Damned_

The dry wind of the Keyblade Graveyard assaulted Ventus face the second that his armour vanished. He walked to the edge of a large cliff, looking out over the crooked mountains and the desert in the distance. It was hard to believe that this had once been a part of his home, and it was impossible to even imagine the tropical paradise of Destiny Islands attached to this dry, dead place.

"Terra, Aqua," he muttered. "This is going to end here."

He took in a deep breath before turning and walking down the steep, winding path. Though he had never gone this particular path before, he knew that it was the way to go.

The dark part of him said so.

**VVVVVVV**

Terra stood at the center of the crossroads in the Keyblade Graveyard. He had heard about this place before, but he never expected to see it for himself. There were so many Keyblades, the only reminders of all those who had been lost in the past. Someday, his Keyblade would rest here, but whether it be sooner or later, he knew that he wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"Terra."

He slowly looked around and saw Aqua approaching him, much like she had in Crystal Shards. She stood a few feet away from him and asked, "Why did you come here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied.

"I received a message from Yen Sid that you had found Xehanort, and that you were on your way here."

"You should have stayed in Radiant Garden with Ven. He needs you more right now than I do."

She shook her head and said, "Ven woke up feeling better than he had in a while. He took Sora back home. He said that he wasn't sure if he would be able to later on. I'm worried, Terra."

"Me too."

There was a pause before she asked, "Is he here? Xehanort?"

"Yes," Terra answered. "I tracked him through a few worlds until I got back to this one. I'm positive he's here."

"You do remember what I said, right? Vengeance is not going to honour the Master."

Terra shot her a sharp look and was about to reply when he saw movement in his peripheral vision. He looked around and stared with surprise at who he saw walking towards them.

"Ven?"

Ventus approached them and said, "Vanitas is here. He fully intends to create the χ-Blade. Then, he said that he's going to go after Sora, and that scares me to death." He put his hand over his heart and looked down sadly.

Terra clapped a hand on his shoulder and said, "We won't let anything happen to you, or to your brother."

Aqua made a sound of agreement and put a hand on Ventus' cheek. There was a pause before he pushed both of them away and said, "You were right when you thought I did something to save Sora. I made a trade, a binding contract, with someone who had the power to save him. She didn't know who Sora was, or she never would have agreed to it."

"Who Ven?" Terra asked.

He shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter now. It's been done. It was a trade. Sora lives, and I die."

"What?" Aqua managed to ask, and Terra just looked stunned.

"You can't stop it. If I try to find a way to save myself, everything's undone and Sora dies instead. That's why I've been weak and tired. You guys have to promise me something. You have to promise to make sure that, even after I fall, Sora stays safe. And, if the memories get too bad, if they get too painful for Sora or my mom, you have to promise to…to erase me."

"Erase you?" Terra repeated.

Ventus nodded sadly and said, "Just…put an end to me."

Neither Terra nor Aqua seemed to know what to say to this. Terra frowned, and Aqua brought her hand up to her chest and looked down sadly.

Cracking and scuffing against the dry ground caught all of their attention, and they all looked down the center pathway that ran through the Keyblade Graveyard. The wind picked up, blowing dust and sand around them.

Master Xehanort was walking towards them steadily and calmly. A second later, Vanitas seemed to phase into view as he walked a few paces behind Xehanort, stopping when the old man did.

Ventus couldn't see his face, but he had a feeling that Vanitas was smirking at him.

Xehanort flourished his arms towards the Keyblades and said, "Behold. These lifeless keys used to be full of power. They were united with the hearts of their Masters, becoming a part of them. Before Twilight's Destiny even existed, on this barren soil, Keyblades of light and darkens were locked in combat as a great Keyblade War raged."

None of them moved as Xehanort spoke, though Ventus had to wonder why the old man was spouting monologue to them at a time like this.

"Countless Keyblade wielders gave up their lives," Xehanort continued. "They searched for a power that could match and control Kingdom Hearts itself. A power that can only be found in one ultimate key." His eyes shifted over to Ventus. "Though in the war, a single heart was said to rise above the rest, sealing away the power of Kingdom Hearts before banishing the power of this key. This cannot happen again, but it'd be a shame to let such power go to waste. The χ-Blade and the Keyblade Master will soon belong to me."

Ventus' eyes narrowed and he muttered, "He is never getting Sora, and he's never getting the χ-Blade."

The three of them each hit their arm armour and were engulfed by light as their full body armour appeared. Ventus was about to rush forward to go after the man that started all of them, but Terra pushed him back and ran ahead.

"Terra!" Ventus called out, but it was too late. A huge part of the ground exploded under Terra, throwing him up into the air. A second mountain seemed to form, shooting up even higher with Xehanort and Vanitas on it.

"What do we do?" Ventus asked Aqua.

"I don't—" Aqua was cut off as the entire world started to go dark around them, turning from orange shaded to mostly dull greys and blues. They both looked around in confusion, and then the Keyblade around them exploded out of the ground, flying up into the air.

Vanitas seemed to appear out of nowhere, jumping on top of the Keyblades, and gliding on them effortlessly. Ventus managed to jump out of the way of the oncoming brigade of Keyblades, but Aqua was thrown backwards.

Above them, more Keyblades flew at Terra, throwing him off of the newly formed plateaus and down towards the ground, Keyblades flying at him from every direction.

"Aqua!" Ventus cried out as he rushed to her side. She groaned and pushed himself up, her damaged helmet falling off and to the ground. Aqua could see that Ventus was fine, and her eyes looked around for Terra until she saw him being assaulted by a whirlwind of Keyblades.

She pointed her Keyblade up at him and yelled, "Terra!" Her magic slammed into him, surrounding Terra and suspending him above the Keyblades like a stone in a staff until it exploded, sending shards of ruined Keyblades in every direction.

Ventus quickly pushed himself off of the ground and ran towards the mountains where Xehanort stood at the very top, a dictator looking over all of the damage that he had caused. Ventus was not about to let him hurt his friends, and he wasn't going to let him have the chance to get his brother.

Terra ungracefully fell to the ground in of Xehanort, and groaned in pain, despite his armour. He pushed himself up and stared at Xehanort as he held out his Keyblade in front of him.

Terra looked up in time to see Ventus try to attack from behind, but as quick as he was, Xehanort was quicker. He phased out of view, reappearing behind the startled Ventus and grabbing him by the helmet.

Terra struggled to push himself up and cried out, "Ven!" He tried to attack to help his friend, but he didn't see Vanitas come at him. He was slammed with the whirlwind of Keyblades and hurled towards the ground.

Ventus struggled in Xehanort's grip, not understanding how such an old man was strong enough to hold him by his head. He couldn't get away though. He felt so weak and tired, like all he wanted to do was sleep. The pressure Xehanort had on the helmet caused it to crack and shatter, and he was able to clearly see Aqua staring up at him in horror.

Suddenly, he felt pain shooting through him, and then he felt numb as Xehanort froze him solid. There was no pain, just such sudden coldness that he couldn't think or move. He vaguely realized that Xehanort had dropped him, and that he tumbled towards the ground, some of his armour shattering as he hit the side of the cliff.

Ventus wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but the next thing he knew, Aqua was holding onto him tightly, leaning over him and asking, "Ven, are you okay?"

All he could do was groan a bit to show that he was still there, letting his eyes move. The pain came rushing back, and he wanted nothing more than to just close his eyes and let go then and there. He had to keep holding on though. His friends were counting on him.

Aqua's head suddenly shot up when a bright orb shot towards the sky, forcing the clouds to part.

She stared in awe as the bright blue light of Kingdom Hearts appeared above them. She had never seen anything like it in her life, but while being so bright, it also brought her so much dread.

She turned her head slightly and saw Terra making his way back up to Xehanort. She wanted to help him, but she needed to help Ventus now.

"Don't worry Ven," she said. "I'll use some heating spells and—"

"Why don't you leave the popsicle with me?"

Her head jerked around at the unfamiliar voice, and Ventus managed to move his head slightly, still shivering violently, his skin blue and covered in frost and ice. Before them was a man with long, black hair and an eye patch. He had a nasty scar on his face, and the eyes that they could see was a vibrant yellow, just like Xehanort's.

"What?" Aqua asked, not having a clue who the man was.

"You can't be too happy with him deep-sixing your Master," the man said with a dark smirk as he walked towards them. "So why don't you go show Terra that?"

Her eyes narrowed and she demanded, "Who are you?"

"You can call me Braig," he said, still smirking, eyeing them like a hungry wolf eyes its prey. "You two really think that you have some big role to play, don't you?" He snorted. "As if. You're only here so that when I finish you off, Terra won't be able to resist the darkness anymore."

Aqua was about to snap back at him, but Ventus beat her to it. "Shut up!"

Braig held his hands up and sarcastically said, "Ohhh, this kid thinks he's a full-fledge Keyblade wielder. Well, I'll tell you one thing kid, you've got the angry look down. Too bad your brother is a better candidate than you for being a Keyblade wielder. They just don't make them like they used to."

Aqua held Ventus as he tried to struggle to free himself from the ice, a furious look on his face. She looked over at Braig and calmly said, "Go ahead and keep wasting your time trying to drive us apart. Your mind games will never work."

She set Ventus onto the ground, ignoring his strained plea for her to come back as she made her way towards this mysterious man that she had never met before, but there was something very unsettling about him. She summoned her Stormfall Keyblade and ran at Braig.

**VVVVVVV**

Ventus groaned and struggled against the ice that was trapping him. He felt like everything was frozen and on fire at the exact same time. He was so cold that he was burning, but he wasn't about to give in to the pain, give in to his desire to just close his eyes and sleep. His friends needed him.

He watched helplessly as Aqua and that man, Braig, fought viciously. He was so fast, but the bullets he was shooting her with didn't hurt her as much as they could have because of her armour. He needed to help her, so he was trying to concentrate on heat and fire magic to make himself move again, but the sad truth was that he failed miserably when it came to magic without a Keyblade.

Though she fought with her normal graceful movements, Ventus couldn't help but feel like Aqua was being a little more brash than normal. She was leaping at Braig to hit him with her Keyblade, like she wanted to physically wound him, not just use her magic to do it.

He felt a wave of pride go through him as he saw Aqua let loose a powerful, and very colourful, attack that threw Braig to the ground.

The man struggled to get up and said, "I keep forgetting, don't mess with Keyblade Wielders." His eyes looked up towards the top of the newly forged mountain suddenly, a smirk appearing on his face. "That just means I made the right choice."

"What are you talking about?" Aqua demanded.

"He wanted me to buy time, and I'd say he got it." Then, Braig turned around and ran.

Aqua was about to chase after him, but came to a stop. She shook her head. There were more important things right now than running after some lunatic that didn't make any sort of sense.

She turned around and saw Ventus struggling to thaw himself out. "Ven!"

Ventus stopped struggling for a moment, his eyes going wide as he saw Vanitas hurling down through the air. He felt his heart stop for a moment and he called out, "Aqua!"

Aqua turned around in time to avoid Vanitas slicing through her skull with his Keyblade, but he hit her hard. Even though her armour she could feel the pain racing.

She let out a gasp and fell to the ground, unconscious.

Ventus started desperately struggling when he saw Vanitas raise his Keyblade over Aqua, preparing to stab her with it. He couldn't let that happen, he couldn't!

"_You can do it Ven!" _

He jerked with surprise as an unfamiliar voice echoed through his mind. It gave him strength though, and he felt his body heating up again, watching the ice melt and steam rise off of him.

Everything felt like it was going in slow motion as he pushed himself to his feat and yelled, "No!"

Vanitas' head visibly jerked towards him, honestly surprised for once. Ventus didn't even give him the chance to react as he summoned Lost Memory and practically threw himself at Vanitas.

The two fought viciously, and though Vanitas had some cheap tricks up his sleeve (because how was flying around on a bunch of Keyblades fair), Ventus was not deterred, and he wasn't about to give up. He wasn't exactly sure where the strength within him was coming from, but he wasn't going to question it.

"Wind!" Vanitas was thrown up into the air, and Ventus jumped after him, slamming his Keyblade into him, hearing grunts of pain. Vanitas fought back though, his Keyblade leaving a bloody gash on Ventus' face.

Back and fourth they traded blows, but Ventus was not about to back down. Vanitas needed to be stopped, at any cost.

Ventus' feet in the ground and he slid backwards, but he managed to stay upright. He rushed at Vanitas, who lunged at him with his own Keyblade.

That's when everything stopped.

Ventus couldn't help but feel a little stunned at what he had done. Slowly, he pulled his Keyblade out of Vanitas' chest and stumbled backwards from him. He expected Vanitas to fall to the ground, but while he gasped in pain and held his hand to his chest, he didn't fall.

Instead Vanitas started laughing madly. It was an eerie sound, and Ventus was incredibly confused. He watched as darkness started to surround his dark half. "You've done it Ventus."

"What?" he asked, taking a step back.

Vanitas chuckled madly and said, "Now that my body is about to perish, you and I will have to join together. The χ-Blade will be forged!" His helmet started to practically melt off of his face, and Ventus felt himself freeze at what he saw.

Though Sora was only four, Ventus could still see the similarities. There was no mind that if he was comparing them at the same age, they would be almost identical. Vanitas looked almost exactly like Sora. Or at least how Ventus could see Sora looking when he was older, except his eyes were a glowing yellow and his hair was black as night. He was too stunned to say or do anything, and his moment of hesitation cost him.

The darkness seemed to explode from Vanitas and several blue unversed wrapped themselves around Ventus, forcing him to drop his Keyblade and keeping him trapped. He started to struggle, but he was suddenly feeling exhausted and sore.

"The Unversed? They came from you?" Ventus asked as he struggled against his captors.

Vanitas laughed darkly as several huge Unversed appeared around him and said, "It happened when you and I were split in two. The negativity took shape as these monsters. They are what I feel: a horde of fledgling emotions under my control. I released them into all of the worlds that I could, hoping to lure you away from your home and Master. I made sure to set extra Unversed in the worlds. Master Xehanort was the one who created the idea of telling Terra that Sora of all people did it. Like he could control these powerful creatures."

"What about the Endless, are you responsible for those too?" Ventus shouted at him.

"Endless. Right. They're abominations. Maybe they'd be useful if Xehanort ever got them right, but they're nothing. He's been splitting people's hearts in two, just like with you and me, but he does things to them to make them stronger. He mixes the darkness and the light. He has never been able to recreate what happened with us. Endless are nothing, and compared to me, so are Unversed. I'm something different all together. I'm better."

Ventus struggled more, but Vanitas kept talking. "We needed to make you stronger, and we needed you to lead us to Sora. The Unversed were the perfect opponents for you. See, no matter how many times you defeat them, their negativity flows back into me." All of the Unversed, aside from the ones holding Ventus, turned into darkness and went back into Vanitas as he walked forward, seemingly more amused than anything else. "You never stood a chance against us, Ventus."

Ventus couldn't move. He felt so wiped out from the fight and from struggling that he couldn't fight back as Vanitas approached him and walked right into him.

Pain flashed through him as Vanitas and the Unversed vanished and light surrounded him. He let out a yell of pain, feeling his connection with his brother, the one that kept him stable for so long, ripping away as the dark part of his heart returned. He yelled loudly and felt like he was about to explode from pain as light exploded from him, streaking up into the air and sending a shockwave around him, throwing Aqua's still figure down a hill.

From the distance, Mickey Mouse watched the copper and white column of light streak into the air, and he grasped his Star Seeker Keyblade in his hand tightly as he started running towards the scene.

**VVVVVVV**

**Author's Note**

Okay, I know I just basically retold Birth By Sleep here, it's the reason why I didn't put it in the first time, that's why I tried to focus more on their inner feelings, struggles and insights.

So I take no credit for quite a bit of the dialogue. Admittedly, I did listen to it and type the dialogue as I went, but I only watched the scene once and had to write everything else that happened from memory.

Someone asked me about Braig before. Keep in mind that there is very little Terra point of view in this story. Originally, I was going to have it from only Ventus' point of view, but Aqua is one of my favourite characters so I put her in. In a way, she's more of a prominent character than Sora is in this, but he's a more important character, that's why I have him listed.

The next chapter, well, it does include Ventus and Vanitas fighting, but it's not exactly the same as in the game, which was one of the most epic fights ever. My hand hated me because I kept activating the reaction where you needed to use the joystick, not the x button.

Since we're almost at the end I'll probably be speeding up the updates, and I'm going pretty fast as of right now. Admittedly, I won't be updating much around the times for my exams so I'm trying to get as much out as I can in my free time while I can.

Thank you to the following people: Shifuni, Jas826, Trainalf, Nyx The Last Keybearer, Twilight Cardmistress and NRZWolf 13! You guys are awesome!

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	22. Dance To The Death

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Twenty-One – Dance To The Death_

Ventus felt like he was falling. He groaned and forced his eyes open as he flipped down onto the glass platform below him. Confusion passed through him as he looked around and saw that he was on a circular platform made of stain glass. There was an image of him on a green background that faded into a red background on the other side, an image of Vanitas without his helmet on over that.

He looked around, unsure of what was going on before Vanitas' voice startled him.

"Our union was not finished."

Ventus whipped around and stared at Vanitas floated down until he was standing on the platform, a massive Keyblade in his hand. Ventus eyed it, curious about the fact that it looked like two of Sora's Keyblades were used to create it, and then he noticed that it was broken.

"The χ-Blade shouldn't stay broken like this," Vanitas said in his calm voice, moving the weapon in his hand. "Join me now, and we can complete the χ-Blade."

Ventus stared at him calmly. He realized now that they were in their heart. There was no physical, dying body here to slow him down or make him tired. He shook his head and said, "I've got a better idea." He summoned Lost Memory to his hand. "How about I destroy you both?"

Vanitas laughed at him and said, "The χ-Blade is made of your heart too, idiot. If you destroy it, your heart will vanish forever."

Ventus realized that Vanitas had no idea that they were physically, slowly dying. This made him smirk a bit, and he decided not to share that fact just yet. Instead, he glared at him and said, "I'll do anything to stop you. Anything to save Sora, Terra, and Aqua from you and Xehanort. That weapon should not exist."

"It's always about your friends, isn't it?" Vanitas said, as if talking to a small child.

"You wouldn't understand. You see friendship as a weakness. It's not, and you'll never understand that. I've become a part of their hearts, just as they've become a part of mine. My friends are my power…and I'm there's!"

Then he rushed at Vanitas quickly. Using his powers, he managed to land a few hits on Vanitas before losing track of him as he vanished and reappeared around him, hitting him and vanishing again.

Ventus fell on the glass and heard Vanitas say, "Pathetic."

"Fire!" Ventus yelled, unleashing his mega flare attack. Vanitas couldn't dodge that and was thrown back. He was quick to get up again though, rushing at Ventus and slashing at him wildly with the broken χ-Blade.

Ventus grunted in pain. He could practically feel the power from the broken weapon, and he couldn't imagine how strong the χ-Blade was when it was completed. He rushed at him though, not bothering to focus on any specific attacks or strategies. He was going to use his instincts this time.

He slashed at Vanitas, who vanished and reappeared around him quickly again, hitting him each time.

"Come on," he growled with frustration, healing himself quickly before rushing at Vanitas and slamming his Keyblade into the χ-Blade. "Why are you so strong?"

"Because what's yours is mine," he said before pushing Ventus away and then lunging at him.

Ventus was ready for him though. He slashed at Vanitas, and managed to throw him back into the air.

Vanitas growled angrily as he stared down at Ventus and said, "Playtime's over!" He then flew at the platform with all the force he could muster. The χ-Blade sunk into it, and Ventus was momentarily blinded with light as the stain glass platform shattered beneath his feet.

**VVVVV**

Aqua's eyes snapped open and she let out a gasp of air before she shot up. She breathed in and out quickly, trying to remember exactly what had happened.

"Gosh, I'm glad you're okay, Aqua." She looked over and saw Mickey standing beside her, looking visibly relieved that she was alright.

"I don't re—" she cut herself off, everything flashing in front of her eyes. The last thing she remembered was Ventus calling out her name in warning, and looking around, only to see a Keyblade descending towards her. Her eyes went wide as she remembered her injured and frozen friend. "Ven!"

She quickly pushed herself off of the ground and looked around, not seeing her blond friend anywhere. She climbed up the side of the steep hill that she had been thrown down earlier and instantly felt relief pass through her when she saw Ventus standing a little bit away from her, looking at the dry ground. She smiled broadly and rushed towards him.

"Thank goodness," she breathed out to herself before speaking to him. "You're safe!"

He didn't answer her. Instead he kept looking down at the ground.

"Ven?" she asked, confusion passing over her as she tried to bend down a bit to peer at his face. Pain shot through her though her injured back, and she straightened back up, unable to see if anything was wrong.

Mickey finally got up the hill and came to an abrupt stop. His eyes locked on the object that Ventus was holding in his hand, and he felt horror pass through him. That was no ordinary Keyblade. He had never actually seen anything like it before, but still, he had a strong feeling that he knew what it was.

Ventus suddenly let out a dark laugh that didn't sound like him at all. It made the hair on Aqua's arms stand on end. That didn't sound like Ventus, but it was familiar. His head shot towards her, and she just had time to take in the vicious golden eyes staring at her before he attacked her with the χ-Blade.

Mickey rushed forward and managed to block the strike while pushing Aqua back. They moved away from the boy and he said, "That's not Ven!"

The blond laughed as his armour started to change, looking more like exposed, black muscle than anything else. The same suit Vanitas wore.

"Correct, I am not Ventus." The voice made shivers go up Aqua's spine. It was audibly Vanitas' voice, but at the same time, she could hear it echoing with Ventus' voice. "His heart has become a part of mine now."

He held out the χ-Blade in front of him and said, "This χ-Blade will open a door. One that will release the darkness that lies deep within Kingdom Hearts. Then, Keyblade bearing warriors of darkness and light will flock here to battle for the light within Kingdom Hearts! With the χ-Blade, I will make sure that the light never succeeds, and a new Keyblade War will begin!"

"You never planned on giving the χ-Blade to Xehanort," Mickey said slowly.

Vanitas laughed at them and said, "Xehanort is a fool. He wishes to see the light at the end of the Keyblade War. I will plunge the worlds into darkness and get rid of the only hope the light has."

"Shut up!" Aqua yelled at him angrily, summoning her Keyblade. "I'm so sick of you! Give Ven his heart back!"

Vanitas seemed more amused by this than anything else. "Come and get it."

Aqua stepped up beside Mickey and looked down at him. He nodded his head, and they both rushed at Vanitas.

**VVVVV**

Ventus felt disoriented as he stopped falling. He looked around wildly, not exactly sure which way was up and which was down or anything like that. He felt different, like he himself was a bit darker. Some people might not have noticed it, but he had only been able to use the powers of pure light for so long that these new abilities stood out like a ruined tattoo. He understood though. He had Vanitas' abilities, not his own. He clutched his Keyblade tighter and he looked around. That worked just fine with him.

"What's yours is mine," Ventus whispered before he looked around the darkness. It was hard to spot Vanitas in all of the broken shards of glass, but he caught sight of him just in time to dodge out of the way as a wave of darkness streaked at him.

"Like I said, playtime's over," Vanitas said clearly before lunging at him with the χ-Blade. Ventus blocked him, but was thrown up into the air, crashing into some of the shattered glass. It sliced at his skin, but he was more worried about not being able to stay upright than some cuts. He let out a groan of frustration and quickly balanced himself on a large shard of the mural. He ran across it, leaping into the air and hurling himself at Vanitas with Lost Memory in hand.

Vanitas met him halfway though, their blades clashing together. The power from the two weapons sparked as they shoved against the other, trying to get the upper hand. For a moment, Ventus pushed forward, but then Vanitas pushed back as hard as he could and Ventus was thrown back again.

He crashed into a piece of glass and it shattered on impact. He groaned with pain as he came to a stop. Vanitas was just so strong, and he didn't think he could cure himself. He gasped in pain, looking up at Vanitas.

"You never stood a chance Ventus," he said with a smirk.

Ventus couldn't stop himself. He started laughing hysterically, and that seemed to catch Vanitas completely off guard.

"What are you doing to do with a dying body anyway?" Ventus asked him as he stood up.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're physically me now," Ventus said smugly, "and my body is dying. I traded my life for Sora's. You wanted to know what changed? That did. By not being able to destroy my body and using your physical one, you've doomed yourself too."

Vanitas actually seemed a bit worried by this prospect, and Ventus thought that he had truly won this round, but then Vanitas smirked and his heart sunk.

"I see, so you made a trade with that witch, Maleficent? Clever. She was an idiot, but who would think a pathetic cry-baby like Sora was a threat? The loophole is interesting though."

"What?"

"You try to heal yourself, and he dies. That works out just fine for me. I'm in control now, and once we've completely united, nothing can stop me. I'll fix myself and the brat will die."

Ventus felt shock run up him. Why hadn't he thought of that before he started talking? If he had kept his mouth shut, Vanitas would have never known and just would have died. He felt frustration well up in him, and it was enough of a distraction for Vanitas to strike again.

Ventus let out a yell of pain as the χ-Blade struck him, and he once again flew backwards, crashing through the glass before landing on a large shard, not getting back up. Vanitas was walking towards him, and he didn't know what to do. He was just so sore, and Vanitas was so strong with the χ-Blade.

He waited for the weapon to crash down on him, destroying him, but it never happened. Instead, there was a flash of bright light and Vanitas let out a yell of pain.

"Get up Ven."

It was the same voice as earlier, the one that he hadn't recognized. Now that he thought about it though, it sounded a bit like Vanitas, but lighter, less harsh, and less evil.

He opened his eyes and looked up, staring with surprise as he slowly stood up.

Standing in front of him was a transparent figure about the same height at he was. He would have sworn that it was Vanitas in front of him for a moment before realizing that the boy had light brown hair and the same eyes as he did.

In his hand was a transparent χ-Blade, but this one was complete.

"Get up," he said again, his voice stern but not like Vanitas'. "You can do it Ven, you can beat him."

"Sora?" he whispered, realizing that he was staring at an apparition of who his brother would be in years to come.

Vanitas stood up and stared at the figure with apprehension on his face.

"You can beat him," he repeated, tossing something at Ventus. He caught it and it became opaque and solid. He realized that it was a blue and gold keychain. The links were made of silver crowns, but the actual keychain itself looked like it was made of a blue crown with a golden, decorated heart on the bottom.

He quickly switched Lost Memory with that Keychain, and his Keyblade instantly changed. He stared at the intricate weapon for a moment before realizing that it looked a bit like the χ-Blade.

"It's no χ-Blade," the ghostly Sora said. "But the Ultima Weapon is as close as you're going to get. You can take him Ven, I believe in you."

Ventus' grip around the Keyblade tightened and he said, "You're right, I can. I won't let you down, Sora."

He smiled and vanished. Ventus didn't give Vanitas a chance to move before he threw himself at him. He didn't hesitate using the abilities that Vanitas himself had given him. He used the power to warp around him, slashing at him with the Ultima Keyblade. Vanitas realized what was going on and fought back, vanishing and reappearing farther away.

They rushed at each other again and their weapons crashed into each other, sparks shooting off of them. Ventus refused to give up this time. He pushed back as hard as he could with new found strength. He knew he would win.

After all, that Sora had been about his age, possibly older, that meant that he didn't die, so that meant that Vanitas couldn't win. Ventus knew it in his heart.

This time he managed to throw Vanitas backwards. He felt strength pass through him unlike before and was surrounded by light.

He shot towards Vanitas, who barely had the chance to look up as Ventus slashed at him with the Ultima Keyblade, and he knew it was over from the stunned expression on his foe's face.

Vanitas stared at him for just a moment before muttering, "Wow."

The χ-Blade slipped out of Vanitas' grip, and he suddenly seemed to panic, desperately trying to grab the weapon as he fell away from it. Ventus watched as his movements got slow and his eyes closed as he became still. The χ-Blade exploded into shards of light.

A second later, Ventus' own Keyblade exploded. He watched as Vanitas and the shards of light fell, and his stain-glass platform revealed itself, fully in tact and fully his.

**VVVVV**

Aqua looked up at Vanitas from where he had thrown her. Mickey landed a few feet away, unconscious, and she felt pain riddling her body as she gasped for breath.

Vanitas stopped in front of her, smirking darkly and said, "What's wrong, giving up already?"

She tried to get up, but felt a stab of pain in her side. Aqua refused to cry out though. She refused to give Vanitas the satisfaction of knowing that she was hurt.

She pulled out her Wayfinder and whispered, "Terra, Ven, lend me strength." She closed her eyes tightly, but opened them again when she felt her Keyblade grow warm, even through her armour.

She opened her eyes and looked over at it only to see that it was surrounded by a soft blue glow. She asked for strength, and Ventus and Terra's hearts had responded.

She pushed himself up and ran at Vanitas, her Keyblade slamming into the χ-Blade. Vanitas just laughed and said, "You're wasting your energy."

Aqua wasn't about to give up though. She braced herself and pushed back with all of her might.

Then the χ-Blade cracked.

"What?" Vanitas said, visibly surprised. His moment of distraction allowed Aqua to strike him with Stormfall, and he was thrown back to the ground while the χ-Blade was tossed into the air, where it hovered.

Vanitas stared up at it for a moment before saying, "You win this round, Ventus." His eyes turned back into their normal cerulean colour, staring at the χ-Blade for a moment before slipping shut as his breathing ceased.

Aqua let out a cry of surprise as the χ-Blade's power started exploding from it, crashing into the ground and tearing it up. Aqua covered her face and took a step back. There was so much power, and it was completely out of control.

"It's gone all haywire!" she heard Mickey call out as he rushed to her side, having just regained consciousness.

Aqua looked down at him for a moment before something caught her eye. The dark clothes on Ventus' body vanished, being replaced by his own armour, and she knew that Vanitas was gone.

A bolt of the power crashed into the ground only a few feet away from the still boy's head, and she cried out, "Ven!"

Aqua ran at him, despite the increasing strikes from the χ-Blade's power. The ground started shaking, and the winds became fierce, but she still made her way towards him.

Aqua stopped for a second when she saw Ventus' body fly into the air. She quickly ran and jumped after him, reaching out and just barely managing to grasp his arm. The second she did, she knew that he was gone. She refused to admit it yet.

The χ-Blade exploded, and light surrounded them all. She heard Mickey cry out as he was thrown into the air, and she felt Ventus being ripped out of her grasp as she was thrown into the air and lost consciousness.

**VVVVV**

Ventus stared down at the mural before glancing at his own hands as they started to glow. The smile never left his face as his eyes closed and he knew no more.

**VVVVV**

**Author's Note**

Again, mostly like birth by sleep, but one very important difference. In that, Ventus' heart just left him. In this his body died, and his heart took off. The original version of Shadows of Sleep, he just died full-out, no heart leaving or anything like that. I changed it so that his heart took off just before his physical body died.

So he died, the contract with Maleficent is a done deal and is completely gone.

Yes, both of these chapters are rushed, but that's the type of feel I wanted them to have. Everything's just happening so fast that they barely have time to react to any of it.

Plus I really dislike writing fighting scenes.

The line "Our union was not finished." originally had one hell of a typo in it. It made me laugh and I was CONSIDERING keeping it there for the lulz, but I didn't. It originally said "Our union was not fished." I'm so easily amused.

Questions people may have:

In the Shadows of a Dream: Final Mix, Sora doesn't remember Ven. Why?

In the original Shadows of Sleep, Aqua died. Here she didn't. WTF?

Answer to both of these: Answered in the next chapter.

Why wasn't Terra's fight shown?

Answer: Because there was really very little from his point of view. His battle with Xehanort, the motivation behind it and everything else was EXACTLY like the game. I know that Ventus' fight was almost on the money, but it was still different because his motivation was different. I'm not just not going to address the whole Xehanort-Terra thing though. That comes soon.

WTF is with Sora showing up in Ven's mind?

Answer: I wanted to add something different in. There's no bigger meaning to him appearing or anything. It is what it is. It's one of the few things you can take at face value.

The next chapter IS NOT the last one.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed: Twilight Cardmistress, Trainalf, Shifuni, Jad826, Shire Folk and NRZWolf 13.

We're ALMOST at the end people!

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	23. Aqua

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Twenty-Two - Aqua_

Aqua had never felt like a failure before, but that was the only thing she could think of herself as. She had failed to keep an eye on Ventus, she had failed to help him, she had failed to find his body to bring back to his mother, and she had failed to find Terra.

She hadn't told Ventus' kind mother what had happened. She hadn't even gone near Destiny Islands for several weeks after his death. She didn't know what to say. When she finally did go to Destiny Islands, she had seen his mother but the woman hadn't seen her.

Ayame had been alone on the beach, without Sora, and had been sobbing. She had a picture with Ventus with her, and Aqua knew that Ayame knew her oldest son was dead.

Aqua couldn't even imagine how it must have made her feel. She had lost her parents, her husband, her youngest son, and now her oldest son. The only thing the woman had left was little Sora.

Aqua hadn't seen Sora on that brief visit, and she was almost glad that she hadn't. If Ventus' mother knew, then there was no way that Sora didn't know too.

From there, she had gone on a search, far and wide, for any sign of Terra, but she was unsuccessful in her attempts.

She was in the lanes in-between when she felt like something was calling her back to Destiny Islands. She was reluctant to go there, but she knew that she had to. She wasn't about to turn away from what her gut instinct said anymore. Maybe if she had listened to her heart from the very beginning, she could have made a difference.

It was nighttime on the islands. She appeared on the beach of the main island, and walked towards the edge of the calm water. The waves lapped against her shoes as she looked up at the stars in the sky, feeling a wave of sadness pass over her. Ventus would never be able to see this again.

It was very quiet, even the small waves seemed hushed, so it was easy for her to pick up the small sounds of sniffling. Her brows furrowed together, and she walked along the beach where the land met the sea that reflected the sky so well.

What she found instantly broke her heart.

Sora was sitting at the edge of the earth in front of her, not moving as the wind caused the water to cover his bare feet. He was only in his pajamas, and his mother was nowhere in sight, so Aqua rightly assumed that he was there without her knowledge.

She slowly approached him and said, "Sora?"

He jumped before twisting around and looking at her, surprise and a bit of fear on his face. It faded as he saw who was behind him, and he whispered, "Aqua."

Aqua walked over to him and knelt down on the sand beside him. She stared at his teary eyes and asked, "Why are you out here alone?'

"Bad guy's gone," Sora said while looking out over the water. "But so is Venny."

"Oh, Sora…" She didn't know what to say to him.

"Aqua?" Sora said, looking up at her. "Why did Venny have to go? My daddy left too when I was little and so did Roxas. Did I do something wrong? Do I make people leave?"

Aqua moved so that she was sitting on the sand instead of kneeling and held out her arms to him. Sora got up and willingly let her hold him close while sitting on her lap. He cried against her shoulder and asked, "Is it my fault?"

"No Sora," she whispered while rocking him, her own tears building up. "None of this is your fault. Sometimes people just have to leave, even if we don't want them too."

"But why does everyone leave me?" Sora asked. "Is mommy going to leave too?"

She didn't know how to answer him, because he was right. Everyone around him did seem to die. When he was born, he had both of his parents, grandparents, a twin brother, and an older brother. Now, at the age of five, he only had his mother left.

"Your mommy won't leave you Sora, and nobody is leaving _you_. This has nothing to do with you. There are just some bad people out there who make good people leave us. You didn't do anything wrong. I promise you."

"Why do bad people hurt good people?"

"I wish I knew," she answered him, resting her chin on the top of his head.

"Someone is going to come back here and hurt mommy and me," Sora muttered. "Venny was here to protect us but now he's not but people will use his memories to hurt other people. Venny would be sad."

She felt her breath catch in her throat at his words.

"_You guys have to promise me something. You have to promise to make sure that even after I fall, that Sora stays safe. That, and if the memories get too bad, if they get too painful for Sora or my mom, you have to promise to erase me."_

"Oh Ven," she whispered. This had to be part of what he had been worried about.

Sora sniffled loudly before muttering so quietly that she had to strain to hear him. "It hurts."

"What does?"

"My heart. My mommy's heart. Venny's gone and it just hurts and mommy cries all the time and she's always sad. I don't want mommy to be sad. I don't want anyone to hurt her anymore. I just—it hurts Aqua."

She held him tight to her, and her mind was made up then and there. Little Sora didn't deserve this pain, his mother didn't deserve this pain, and they definitely didn't deserve to live their lives in fear, waiting for some new enemy to use Ventus' knowledge to find them. Vanitas may have been gone, but deep in her heart, Aqua knew that Xehanort was not. He could still find them.

She needed to make sure that it never happened.

"Come on Sora, I'll take you home. You don't want your mommy to worry about you, do you?"

"No," he answered quietly, still clinging to her.

With a heave, Aqua managed to pick herself and Sora off of the ground and made her way back towards his house. She could see that his mother was still sound asleep on the couch through the window when she got there, but she could see the woman's dried tears and didn't have the heart to wake her up. Instead, she quietly got into the house and crept up the stairs. First she went to Sora's room, but saw that part of the wall was still missing, so she went to the only other room there, Ventus'.

She entered the room and looked around. There actually wasn't that much in the room aside from a few pieces of Ventus' clothing, and some family pictures. Everything else that he had owned had been in Land of Departure before it's destruction.

She put Sora back on the bed that he had obviously escaped from earlier and passed him the stuffed shark that had been kicked to the floor. Sora held the toy to his body tightly and stared up at Aqua with sad eyes.

She put the blankets over him and said, "I know how it feels. Everyone around me seems to leave too. I promise you though, Sora, when you wake up, all of this will just seem like a bad dream."

"Promise?" Sora asked her desperately. If she was having any reservations about what she planned on doing before, hearing his pleading tone instantly rid her of the.

"I promise," she replied. She sat beside him until he fell asleep, curled up with Bubbles the Shark. Then, she ran a hand through his hair before getting up and leaving.

There was someone else she needed to talk to about her plan.

**VVVVVVVV**

Aqua stared out at the colourful stretch of sky in front of her, sitting with her legs dangling over the edge of the steep drop in front of Master Yen Sid's tower. She had discussed her plan with him, she had given him her reasons, and surprisingly he had agreed that it would be for the best for now.

Ventus needed to be erased.

She heard soft footsteps and turned around slightly to see Mickey walking towards her. He sat beside her in silence for a moment before he said, "I lost my brother too. Well, we weren't biologically brothers, but we were both adopted by Walt. I never found out what happened to him after he vanished, and sometimes I think it would be easier if I just couldn't remember him all together. Then I realize that I would never want to give up those memories."

"I know that Sora wouldn't want to let go of the memories of Ventus entirely either, that's why I'm going to make sure they're not gone forever," Aqua explained. "Just for now. When he's older, when he can understand and cope with what happened, then you can tell him about Ven. You can give him back the memories."

"Me?" Mickey asked, uncertainly.

"Yes," Aqua said. "I'll still have the memories of Ven, and I imagine that Yen Sid will always have some knowledge about what happened, but you're going to be a bit different. I want to lock the memories of Ven inside of you, so that one day, when you feel the time is right, you can give those memories back. That way they're not gone for good."

"I don't understand," Mickey said hesitantly, "why don't you keep the memories? You were closer to Ven than I was."

She shook her head and said, "Just a feeling. I'd rather you be the keeper. If you don't want to, I understand, but…" She trailed off with a shrug, not quite sure how to communicate her thoughts.

"Okay," Mickey said after a moment of silence. "I'll do it. What do I have to do?"

"Just close your eyes and old on to Ven's memory tightly. Don't open your eyes until I tell you to." Mickey nodded.

Aqua took a deep breath and summoned her Keyblade. This was a type of magic that she couldn't use without it. She put one hand over Mickey's heart, closed her eyes, and gripped her Keyblade tightly.

For several moments, anyone observing would have thought that she was doing something wrong, or that she just wasn't powerful enough to completely erase the proof of a person's existence from the worlds.

Slowly though, Stormfall began to glow a pale blue. It became brighter and bright, and sweat began to streak down Aqua's face, mingling with the tears that she let fall. Her hand gripped her Keyblade painfully tight as images of Ventus rushed through her mind. This was much more painful that she expected it to be. Not physically, but mentally and emotionally.

Her Keyblade began shooting off pink sparks, and she slowly lifted her arm until the weapon was pointed up at the sky. Not a single word was uttered the entire time.

The light that surrounded her Keyblade suddenly exploded in a beam heading towards the sky, and that's when things began to change everywhere.

Jacques couldn't remember the friend that helped him with Cinderella's dress. The three good fairies didn't know who they had guided up to Maleficent's castle to get back Aurora's heart. The seven dwarfs had no clue who they initially thought was a thief. Peter Pan and his friends couldn't remember for the life of them who had put the broken, wooden sword that said 'Terra' into their treasure chest. Minnie couldn't remember who had won the contest in Disney Town. Stitch couldn't remember the friend that helped him escape. Hercules and Zack couldn't remember the boy that had trained with them. Donald and Goofy forgot who they had dragged up to Yen Sid's room when Mickey was missing. Kairi couldn't remember meeting Ventus, and she couldn't remember meeting Sora as a side effect.

Maleficent didn't remember any sort of contract, and she hadn't thought twice about burning the useless piece of paper. Braig, for some odd reason, could still faintly see an image of a blond boy in his mind, but for the life of him, he didn't know who he was.

On Destiny Islands, Ayame Hikari didn't know why she was crying over pictures of her and Sora. Even the memories of Roxas were gone.

As far as Sora knew, he was an only child and always had been. There was no one to be sad about, no one to cry over.

The light from Aqua's Keyblade faded, and she slowly lowered her hand to the ground. Her eyes opened a minute later, and Stormfall vanished from her hand. She took her hand from over Mickey's heart and wiped away the tears that were spilling down her cheeks.

Mickey opened his eyes and stared at her sadly in silence. When she managed to compose herself, he said, "I'll take care of his memory. I promise. They'll be my most important secret."

"Thank you Mickey," she said with a weak smile.

"Mickey, Aqua."

They both looked around as Master Yen Sid walked towards them swiftly.

"It's been done, Master," Aqua said to him.

"Yes. You have shown your prowess with magic admirably, but that is not why I am here."

"What happened?" Mickey asked, recognizing the urgency in his Master's voice.

"The stars are screaming," Yen Sid explained. "Radiant Garden is under attack."

"Radiant—" Aqua cut herself off, her eyes widening. "Oh no, Kairi."

"It is imperative that you save her," Yen Sid said. "Try to save as many as you can, but be sure to save her. You must hurry."

Aqua nodded and summoned her Keyblade Glider and her armour. She turned to Mickey to ask how he planned to get there, and was slightly surprised to see him turn his own Keyblade into a Glider and summon his own armour. Admittedly, the fact that his armour had large round ears did amuse her a bit.

"I finally got it," he explained proudly as he jumped onto his Keyblade Glider.

"At least you won't end up in the wrong world," Aqua replied before she headed towards the sky.

Mickey was about to follow her but stopped as Yen Sid spoke.

"Mickey?"

He looked around at his Master curiously

"Show me that you deserve the Mark as I believe you do."

Mickey's heart leapt and he nodded his head, quickly flying after Aqua.

**VVVVVVVV**

In a world not far from Disney, a little redhead watched with horror as her blonde cousin fell to the floor, not moving.

Then creature that was there started to advance towards her, but it stopped as a tall, intimidating man with white hair walked into the room, his eyes, that she had thought were brown but were now yellow, locked on her.

**VVVVVVVV**

**Author's Note**

Yes, this chapter was shorter. That's because everything that happens in the next chapter has to be in the next chapter.

Okay, now I know some people are confused. Let me explain:

In the original Shadows of Sleep, Vanitas didn't exist and the person in the helmet was a young man also named Xehanort. A completely separate person from Master Xehanort. He had been working under Ansem the Wise in Radiant Garden before my plot took place. In this one though, I couldn't do that.

So yes, Xehanort did take over Terra, and he ended up in Radiant Garden. There, he started working under Ansem the Wise experimenting with Heartless and other things.

Now you're all like 'BUT HOW DID THAT HAPPEN SO FAST'. Well there was a major time skip from the last chapter to this one. Several months. Next chapter's the last one, then we have the Epilogue.

To everyone who reviewed, you're seriously awesome! And thank you for pointing out things like typos and such, I DO appreciate it, I just have no time to go back and change anything right now. Maybe after exams are done, because I'm in my last week of classes now. Except for author's notes. They don't count for grammar and typos.

Thank you to: NRZWolf 13, Jad826, Shire Folk, just-oneofthe-reader, Dowski, Shifuni, AKAAkira, Nyx The Last KeybladeBearer, Trainalf, and Twilight Cardmistress!

Remember to leave a review, it might make me want to update faster. I mean, all the chapters are written, but I always give them one last scan through before posting them. I enough people tell me that they want it up quicker, I may even find time to update again late today, early tomorrow.

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	24. Darkness Of The Unknown

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Chapter Twenty-Three – Darkness Of The Unknown_

Aqua didn't make a sound as they appeared in Radiant Garden. She just stood completely straight, staring at the fallen world in front of her without any sort of reaction. Her ice blue eyes seemed dull, her face tired with dark circles under her eyes, and her mouth was turned into a small, barely visible frown. Her hair blew in her eyes, but she didn't move to push it away. Instead, she just kept staring at the sight in front of her.

Radiant Gardens was in ruins. The lakes and streams were dark and murky with a mixture of rubble, mud, and blood. Most of the houses were destroyed, and most of the vegetation torn from the ground or burning in hot flames. The outer parts of the city were bare with not a single person in sight, but she could hear the faint screams coming from farther away.

"We can't save this world," she said to Mickey, not bothering to look down at her companion. "It's too far gone."

Mickey slowly nodded before saying, "That doesn't mean that there's not something here worth protecting."

She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. She could picture Terra running into the fray without a second thought. She could hear Ventus insisting that they go and help as many people as they could. She could practically feel the pleading stare on little Sora's face, though she wasn't quite sure why. Then, suddenly, she could smell the flowers of the royal gardens and an image fluttered into her mind fleetingly. A small girl with deep crimson hair and happy indigo eyes playing with a blonde haired, brown eyed girl.

Aqua's eyes snapped open and a determined look passed over her face as she looked towards the castle. "Mickey?"

"Yeah?" he asked, more to show that he was still there and listening than anything.

"Find a way to save as many people as you can, though I don't think it'll be much by this point of time," she admitted. "Then run. Get away from here while you can."

"Aqua…"

"Consider it an order from a Keyblade Master to a Keyblade Apprentice," she said sternly while glancing down at him.

"What about you?" the mouse wondered.

"There's something dark here, I can feel it," she placed her hand over her heart. "I'm going to find it. If I don't come back—well—don't worry too much about me."

Mickey wanted to protest, but he knew that she would never listen to him. She was at the point where she had absolutely nothing to lose, and that was a very dangerous thing. Still, there was no time for him to argue, no time to debate about why they needed to stick together, or why she shouldn't just rush ahead into danger just because her friends were gone. So he did the only thing that there was time for.

"Be careful Aqua," he replied.

She managed to give him a smile, something that he hadn't seen since Ventus died and Terra vanished months before. She nodded her head and said, "Thank you Mickey. You're already a Master in my mind."

Mickey watched her as she rushed away. He had no way of knowing that it was the last time he would see her again, but, somehow, he knew it anyway.

**VVVVVV**

She ran as quickly as she could, not caring that the metal on her shoes clanged loudly as it connected to the ground. Normally, she was as stealthy as they came, but now was not the time for stealth. Now was the time for speed. How she wished that she was faster.

For a moment, she saw Ventus beside her, laughing as he ran by, waving.

"_Come on Aqua, you can run faster than that."_

Now she knew why he liked to run, why he had always been so proud of being so much faster than her or Terra. What good was being powerful or good with magic if you couldn't get to where you wanted to go on time?

She ran as quickly as she could, going where her heart told her to go. She could feel Kairi's light; it practically drew her in like a bug to a physical light.

Aqua felt horror pass through her when she heard a scream. It was definitely Kairi, though Aqua didn't know why she was so far from the protection of the castle. Casting a quick glance at the structure, she felt her heart drop. Now that she was closer she could see just how much damage it had taken. Nowhere was safe in this world.

She rounded the corner and skidded to a stop, her eyes wide with shock. Kairi was struggling against the grip of a tall, strong man, but he was ignoring her as if she was simply a little rag doll. That wasn't what shocked her though, it was the man that did. Though she couldn't see his face, he was eerily familiar. She had seen his tall, structured form many times before. Despite the fact that his hair was now silver and much longer, she had no doubt in her mind who it was. She had been looking for him for months, ever since Ventus' death.

"Terra!" she yelled as she rushed forward.

Kairi's head shot around and she called out, "Aqua!" She struggled even more against the grip of her capturer now.

The man turned around, but when he did Aqua skidded to a halt. His eyes were an eerie, glowing shade of yellow. She knew those eyes anywhere. "Such a terrible darkness…Xehanort!"

"Aqua," he acknowledge in an almost nonchalant way. "It's taken you far to long to get here. I expected you a long time ago."

"Let her go," Aqua demanded, her Stormfall Keyblade appearing in her hand.

"Do you know what this child is?" Xehanort asked as if he had vaguely heard her. "A child of pure light. She has not a drop of darkness in her heart. And interestingly enough, she not only has the ability to use a Keyblade within her, but she's been marked as well. By you."

Aqua glared at him. She certainly knew that she had marked Kairi as her future apprentice, just as she had sensed that Terra had marked Riku as his apprentice. She looked down at the frightened little girl and said, "Fight it. Terra, please!"

"Terra's heart has been extinguished," Xehanort said, a darkened portal opening behind him. "Smothered by the darkness within him." He turned to the portal, and Kairi struggled against him. Then, as if she was only a doll, he threw her into the darkness.

"Kairi!" Aqua screamed, dropping her Keyblade, and rushed forward as the portal started to close. She saw Kairi's necklace, the one that she had infused with protective magic when she had been staying at the castle, start to glow as the little girl was surrounded in light. She vanished before the portal even closed completely.

Aqua felt relief pass through her. She knew exactly where Kairi had gone, and she knew that the girl was safe.

Xehanort summoned his Keyblade and spun around, slashing at her. Aqua quickly flipped out of the way. She stared at him with a calm but angry face and said, "My name is Master Aqua." She summoned Stormfall again. "Now return my friend's heart, or pay the price."

Xehanort smirked at her, and then he made his move.

Aqua let out a scream of surprise and pain. He shot towards her, surrounded in darkness, throwing her into the air and hitting her again and again. She hit the ground and just barely managed to cartwheel out of the way before he came at her again.

"Protect!" she cried out as he shot towards her again, the protective sphere appearing around her just in time. He crashed into it, but it shattered a second later, and he slashed at her quickly, throwing her back again.

"Heal!" Aqua managed to gasp before getting up. He was so fast, and he was so powerful. She didn't want to imagine what would have happened if he had managed to get his hands on the χ-Blade.

"You are no match for me!" Xehanort yelled at her. He pointed his Keyblade and several blasts of darkness shot at her. She held up her Keyblade to block the attack, but her back ended up crashing into a tree.

Anger flashed through her and she yelled, "Enough!" She jumped into the air, far higher than he could and yelled, "Thunder!" The powerful columns of lightning crashed into him, causing him to yell in pain. She landed on the ground and quickly rushed at him, slashing at him with her Keyblade.

She might not have been accustomed to Master Xehanort's fighting style, but she certainly knew Terra's. When he turned to her, she quickly moved away from him, knowing that he could easily overpower her physically.

"Once I've won, nothing will stop me from hunting down that boy," Xehanort said to her. "He'll be my perfect soldier, and he'll spread the darkness in a way that Vanitas never could. It is hard for a being of darkness to get into the light to infect it."

Aqua felt her blood boil with rage and she snapped, "No, you won't." She was a little surprised that he still remembered Sora, because if the memories of Ventus were gone, the memories of Sora would be gone through association, since the only reason any of them even knew about him was through Ventus. She realized though that, just like she could remember Ventus, the part of Terra that had to still be there probably remembered him too.

Xehanort slammed his Keyblade into the ground, and she let out a scream of surprise as she was thrown into the air as huge rocks jutted out of the ground. She flipped herself around midair though, and shot a powerful beam of light and Xehanort.

"I need to be faster," she whispered to herself. She focused her magic and shot towards him, leaving several still clones behind her. He stopped rushing around, and stared with confusion. Terra wouldn't have had any memories of her having an ability like this.

She threw herself at Xehanort and started slashing at him wildly, and he had no idea which direction she was coming from. She appeared directly behind him, pointing her Keyblade at him and yelling, "Light!" He turned just time to have a massive ball of light crash into him.

He skidded on the ground and his Keyblade flew out of his hand, vanishing.

Aqua had no time to waste. She quickly moved over to him and said, "You can't do anything to him or anyone else if you don't remember him, and you don't remember being a Keyblade Bearer." She touched her Keyblade to his head, and he yelled in pain. A rush of power came from him, throwing her back with a powerful shockwave.

She slid across the ground, watching as dark portals opened up from every direction, and small, black creatures started appearing. She was so confused, and had no idea what the things were. All she knew was that they were starting to attack the few people that were still around.

Aqua tried to push herself up, but she was so sore from the fight, and so tired from using so much of her magic. All she could do was slump to the ground. She watched one of the creatures jump on Xehanort's unconscious body, and felt the need to protect him. It might have been Xehanort controlling the body, but she firmly believed that Terrra was still in there somewhere. So she did the only thing she could in such a weak state. She summoned her armour, but not on her. It hovered in the air for a moment, and she used Stormfall to toss it at the young man. It hit the creatures, causing them to burst into shadows of darkness and vanish. The amour landed on him, acting as a bit of protection from the creatures. She tried to use her Keyblade telepathically, and she managed to destroy a few of the shadows, but soon she felt too weak, too tired. Stormfall fell to the ground with a clatter, not vanishing.

Before she lost consciousness, she would have sworn that she saw a transparent Ventus appearing in front of her, Wayward Wind and all.

**VVVVVV**

Donald and Goofy had arrived with the emergency transport vehicle, a new creation by Chip and Dale that they dubbed a gummi ship, based on it's rubbery, colourful appearance on the outside. This was the first time the ship had ever been tested, and Mickey hoped that nothing went wrong.

He had rounded up as many people as possibly could, guiding them to the ship and keeping the area around them free of all those strange, dark creatures. Goofy was helping him protect the ship, and Donald was inside, ready to take off at a second's notice.

There were so very few people left. When he and Aqua had separated, he found himself in the middle of all the chaos. People were screaming and running, being attacked by the dark, heartless creatures that Mickey didn't know the name of. Only a few were lucky enough to get away.

A few more survivors were rushing towards them. A twelve-year-old girl with light brown hair and green eyes was holding tightly to the hand of a much smaller girl with short black hair.

"Come on Yuffie," she said, pulling the small girl along. "We have to go."

"But Aerith, what about—"

"There's no time," a boy about the same age as Aerith said, running to them.

Mickey had to smile sadly, because his spiky blond hair and blue eyes reminded him a lot of Ventus.

"Cloud, did you find Tifa?"

"No," he said sadly, looking back for a moment before following them onto the ship. Mickey heard him mutter, "If I was stronger, like Zack, I could have saved them."

A few others managed to get on board, but then Mickey realized that they were out of time.

"Goofy, we have to go," he said to his friend. "Tell Donald to get ready to take off."

"Gotcha," Goofy replied and hurried onto the ship.

Mickey desperately wanted to wait for others, wait for Aqua, but there were simply too many creatures, and the darkness was spreading rapidly.

Suddenly, a burst of clouds appeared in front of him, causing him to jump. He was about to attack, when he saw Merlin, an old magician that he thought lived on another world called Camelot, a man with blond hair chewing a toothpick, and a teenager with long, brown hair.

"I need to go back and find her," the teenager said. "I know Rinoa is there somewhere."

"There is no one else Squall," the blond man said. "Now get on that ship before I lug your ass on there myself."

Merlin turned to Mickey and said, "Sorry if we startled you, but I saw Cid trying to drag Squall, and brought them. There is no one else here Mickey. Everyone is gone."

Mickey nodded his head and said, "Okay. We're leaving now anyway." He waited until all of them got on the gummi ship before running on himself, closing the door and making sure that it was sealed.

Donald took off a minute later.

Mickey looked out at the devastation below, hoping that Aqua had managed to get out some how. That boy that had been struggling with Cid looked out the window beside him, a sad look on his face.

"I'm sorry…Squall, was it?" Mickey asked. He couldn't imagine what it'd be like to lose Minnie to the darkness.

"…Leon," he muttered. "Squall failed to protect his friends and family, so I'm Leon."

Mickey slowly nodded his head before heading towards the front of the ship. These people were all hurt, physically, mentally, and emotionally. There was nothing he could do for any of them now.

"Where are we taking them?" Donald asked as Mickey approached.

"There's a world out there for refuges. It's one of the few places that's aware there's other worlds. We can bring them there. It's called Traverse Town."

"Traverse it is," Donald said, setting the coordinates.

Mickey sighed and looked at his Keyblade. He had failed.

**VVVVVV**

Through the darkness that revenged Radiant Garden, a tall, green skinned woman appeared in the castle, walking onto one of the balconies overlooking the destruction. She smirked, having brought the creatures there herself.

"What a lovely world," she said to the raven that landed on her staff. "Such a horrid name as Radiant Garden does not suit such a place, does it?"

The raven cawed back.

"No, it needs a more fitting name. From hence forth, this world, my world, shall be known as Hallow Bastion."

Her dark laughter echoed through the broken world.

**VVVVVV**

Aqua's eyes opened and it took a minute to realize that she wasn't in Radiant Garden anymore. The place she was in was riddled with just as much darkness though.

A gasp escaped her lips when she realized where she was, and pushed herself off of the ground, pain wracking her body.

She grunted and managed to push herself to her feet, staring around in horror. She was home, in the Land of Departure. Or what was left of it, at least.

"Oh god," Aqua whispered as she took in the damage. The only parts left were parts of the courtyard that she was standing on, and most of the castle, though it was torn apart pretty badly too. Everything else was swirling in darkness.

"_Aqua, keep an eye out for him."_

Tears of frustration filled up in her eyes. She dared to call herself a Master, and she had failed this miserably.

"_There is a great darkness lurking in him. I fear that it will soon rise beyond his control. If this happens, you must bring him home to me. Do you understand?"_

She looked up at the destroyed castle before turning her eyes towards the ground, and that's when she saw something that made her heart leap. She ignored the pain and exhaustion and picked up the Keyblade that was on the ground. This was Master Eraqus' Keyblade. The Master Keeper.

She looked up at the castle, a look of determination passing her features. She had failed in many ways, but she wasn't about to fail one of Master Eraqus' most important requests.

"_He's not as weak as you think."_

She made her way slowly toward the large audience chamber. It took every ounce of her energy to make herself move up the stairs, but she was determined to do it.

"_Aqua?"_

"_Yes?"_

She finally got to the audience chamber and looked around. Only one of the thrones was left, the window was shattered, and there were bricks and rubble everywhere.

"_Now that you are a Master, there is one secret in particular you must know. Should anything happen to me, and you find a legion of darkness on our doorstep, I ask that you take my Keyblade and use it to lock this land away."_

"_What?"_

"_Generations of Keyblade Masters have been charged with keeping this land safe. There is so much knowledge and power hidden within these walls that there would certainly be many who would abuse it. This is why our predecessors devised a certain…trick."_

Aqua lifted Master Keeper into the air and focused all of her power and energy into it. A moment later, a glowing Keyhole appeared in front of her, the power radiating from it causing dust to fly everywhere, where she didn't care about that.

"_Just use the key, and this land will be transformed. From that day forward, all who visit this land will be lost to oblivion, none every able to solve the mystery."_

She thrust the Keyblade forward and a beam of light came out of it, hitting the Keyhole and causing the entire room to start glowing with light. As the light faded, she looked around to see a pure white room, the symbol of the Keyblade Bearers on the walls around her. Everything was safe now. She had not failed this. No one would solve the riddle of Castle Oblivion.

"_None, Aqua, except you."_

She felt dizzy and tired, letting Master Keeper vanish as she stumbled back and slumped down on the white throne in the room.

She could feel the magic in the room doing something strange to her. It was making her tired. It was so soothing that she couldn't stop herself from leaning back in the chair, and she couldn't stop her eyes from closing as she fell asleep. There she would remain until the time came for her birth by sleep.

**VVVVVV**

**Author's Note**

As promised: here is the last chapter. The Epilogue is up next though. You guys were such good reviewers that I had to update quickly. I keep my promises. Also I'm very easy to please so I didn't expect 100000 reviews or anything. Not for a rewrite.

Yes, in my version, instead of Ven sleeping and Aqua wandering in the darkness, Ven died and she ends up falling asleep. Why? Well, that answers easy: MAGIC! …just go with it, okay? I had to do something with her, and I needed to have a reason for her to go back to create Castle Oblivion without Ven there to protect.

As always, there will be no author's notes in the next chapter, but if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. If I can, I'll answer them.

Thank you to the awesome people who reviewed my last chapter: Jad826, NRZWolf 14, Dowski, Taeniaea, Shifuni, Trainalf, Twilight Cardmistress, and just-oneofthe-reader.

And thank you in advanced to anyone who reviews this chapter and the epilogue! You guys are all seriously the best!

Can't wait to get to the rewrite of Shadows of Reality. I've been having a withdrawal from writing mushy, sappy scenes. It's already shaping out to be fairly different from the original, just like this one did. Of course, that's mostly because of the changes that were made to this fic and to Shadows of a Dream.

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


	25. Epilogue

**Shadows of Sleep: Final Mix**

_Epilogue_

Sora's eyes slid open, confusion passing through him. His head hurt, but he didn't know why. He didn't remember hitting it, and he didn't think he was sick or anything.

Though there was that feeling in his stomach, kind of like he was about to be sick, but at the same time, he didn't think that was it. He looked out of the window in his room, staring out at the small island that Riku's father took them to so that they could play.

Sora couldn't say why, but he felt the urge to go out there, or at least down to the beach. He didn't think he could get all the way to the little island on his own.

He thought about waking his mother for a moment but decided not to. Still, he peaked into her room and saw that the lamp was still on, a photo album still on her lap, though she was asleep. There were tears coming from her closed eyes, and Sora wanted to go to her for a moment, but something was pulling him, tugging him along. He couldn't explain what it was, but he couldn't ignore it.

He stopped for a moment though to stare at the picture. It was a strange picture of him. It almost looked like he was supposed to be playing with someone else, but there was no one in the photo. He just shrugged.

Sora carefully made his way down the stairs and put on his sandals. He frowned at the locks, because he wasn't tall enough to reach them. For a moment, he would have sworn he saw a giant key hovering beside him, but when he looked, it was gone. The door was completely unlocked now though. He just accepted it at face value.

"Thank you ghostie," he said before pulling open the door and rushing outside. It was dark out, but he didn't feel afraid at all. He felt very sad, but at the same time, he felt excited about something.

He ran towards the beach, kicking up sand behind him as he went. It was a really clear night, and it was warm, so he didn't even think about running back for a sweater or anything.

Sora stopped at the edge of the water and stared up at the sky above him. It was dark, the moon was just barely visible that night (a crescent moon, but he didn't know that), and the sky was lit up with thousands of stars.

"Wow," he whispered, but then his eyes shot to one star in particular. It was pulsing oddly, and then he realized that it was because it was moving. Not just moving, coming towards him!

Sora watched as the light streaked down towards Destiny Islands, but as it approached the water, the light started to dim and it started to slow down. His eyes widened a bit when he saw a small girl with red hair in the light.

He felt a tug in his heart, like he knew who it was, but he couldn't remember. She fell into the water, and he rushed in after her quickly, the cold waves splashing around him.

With a strength that someone his age shouldn't have, he managed to grab her in the dark, icy water and start pulling her back to shore, even with their wet clothes weighing them down. He pulled her up to the sand, enjoying the warm air as it hit him.

She didn't look good, and he couldn't tell if she was breathing. He thought for a minute about what his mother told him to do if he ever saw that, but he couldn't remember. Then, like something could hear his confusion, there was a flash of light and the little girl started choking up the water that she had swallowed.

Sora just assumed that the ghost was helping him again.

He pulled her up so that she was sitting. One thing he did know was that it was bad to be lying down with anything in your mouth. His mother had scolded him many times for it.

She let out a small sob and held herself tightly, shaking from the cold water. Her indigo eyes looked into Sora's, and he felt himself flushing a little bit.

"You okay?" he asked her.

She nodded her head but was still crying.

"What's wrong? What's your name? Where did you come from?"

"I—I don't know," she said, breaking out in tears. "I can't 'member anything."

Sora didn't know what to do, so he did what his mother did when he was crying. He reached out and hugged her tightly. She instantly responded by hugging him back.

"You don't remember anything? About bout your name?"

She hugged him tightly and choked out, "Kaiwi."

Kaiwi? He pictured that fuzzy brown fruit with the yummy green center, but he was pretty sure that was called a kiwi. He could have been wrong though. He thought about it for a moment before saying, "Kairi?"

"Yeah."

"You mess up your Rs," Sora said with a laugh. "That's okay, I can helps you. I'm Sora."

She looked up at him through her tears and said, "Sowa?"

"No, silly, Sora."

"So—rah," she repeated, as if she had said the name correctly before. "Sora. I like you name."

He blushed and she smiled before asking, "Whewe am I?"

"The bestest place in all of evers," Sora answered. "Destiny Islands!"

She nodded before shivering a bit.

"You cold?"

"Yeah."

"My mommy can help. You can come with me." He stood up, and she stared up at him with a look of wonderment. He stared back for a moment before holding out his hand. She glanced at his hand before reaching out and taking it in her own. He helped her up and then led her back towards his house.

"Sora?" Kairi whispered suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Why awe you cwying?" she reached forward and wiped a tear off of his cheek. "I should be sad, not you."

Sora looked at her with a surprised look before putting his free hand over his heart and saying, "I dunno. I feel sad, and I dunno why. My friend Riku said that maybe peoples are hurting and need my help, but I'm not sure. Riku's a little weird."

"I think he sounds smat," Kairi replied, and Sora felt a wave of something (jealousy) pass through him. "Maybe you could look to see?"

"Look where?"

"In you hawt."

"That's what he said to do."

"So close you eyes and do it."

Sora stared at her for a moment before letting his eyes slip shut, his hand still holding on to hers tightly.

**VVVVVV**

Sora opened his eyes and found himself on a huge, stain glass floor. He looked around all the blue and yellow shakes everywhere, but he couldn't tell what they were from his point of view. Surprisingly, he wasn't all that frightened about ending up in such a strange place, he was just curious.

Suddenly, a light in the darkness above him caught his eye. He turned to it, wondering if it was like Kairi and if it noticed him, so he called out, "Hey, can you hear me?"

"I hear your voice," the orb of light answered back at it came towards him. "It cut through the darkness around me."

Sora stared in awe at the floating orb that was talking back to him. For some reason the voice felt warm and familiar. It made him feel happy to hear it. He reached up into the air for it eagerly.

"I followed the sound into a sea of light, and found myself here, with you."

There was something almost affectionate about the voice, and that made Sora smile.

"You gave me something back when I needed it most," the orb said to him. "A second chance."

"I did?" Sora asked curiously.

A small laugh came from the orb and it said, "Yeah, you did. But now I need a new place to stay where I can sleep safely."

"Are you sad?" Sora wondered, frowning a bit. He could practically feel the sadness coming from the light, but he still thought it was polite to ask. He sensed the light hesitating to answer him.

"Would you mind if I stayed here, with you?"

Sora smiled warmly. He wanted to keep this light safe, to keep it close, though he didn't know why. He was sure that this was what he was feeling sad over, this little light.

"Sure. If it'll make you happy again," he answered.

"Thank you."

Sora closed his eyes and drew the orb closer to himself, letting it enter his heart. Automatically, the sadness went away, and he felt an air of warmth and protection around him.

Everything would be fine now.

**VVVVVV**

Sora opened his eyes again and found himself staring at a curious Kairi. She tilted her head slightly and asked, "Did it wok?"

He smiled at her and said, "You and Riku are both really smart. Come on, my mommy can probably make us hot chocolate or something to keep us warm, and tomorrow you can meet all of my friends too! You might not remember your home, but here can be your home instead."

She looked a little sad when he started talking, remembering that she didn't remember anything, but she smiled brightly at his words.

"I'm home?"

"You're home," he said with a nod, pulling her along after him.

He couldn't wait to tell Riku that he had found a new friend on the beach. That was so much cooler than the hermit crab that he had found.

For a moment, he thought he saw someone with spiky blond hair smiling at him, but he blinked and the person was gone. He couldn't explain the little orb of light, and he couldn't explain why he had felt sad before, but it didn't matter all that much anymore.

Maybe it was better that way.

"_A far off memory like a scattered dream. A scattered dream like a far off memory. I want to line the pieces up, yours and mine."_

**The End**

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_


End file.
